Day 19: New Home, New Bodies, Same Traditions

My older sister and I lived our preadolescent years in San Francisco, straddling two houses across the neighborhood. Never had a back yard, much less a front yard, or a tree that bore fresh avocados. So, to wake up in a two story wooden house in Ecuador where me and my four siblings can stretch outside in the country air, or go play on the grass outside, or just stay in and do some crafts are times that I am really enjoying.   

Nachos. Oh, nachos, you are the perfect snack for me. Corn chips, rice, black beans, fresh made tomato and onion salsa, and a little cheese on top to pull the whole thing together. But like with any sort of Mexican food, amenities can be added or subtracted. Substitute sour cream for cheese (or just add both)? No problem-o.

Today was made vegetarian and I have no complaints.  

I even had some more just because the meal turned out so good. I even took a little extra time to put on some avocado and fresh relish, because, you know, its all good. 

Besides the ingredients, there is an issue of not having an oven back home in Japan. Microwaves are the standard to heat things in small apartments, but was brought up to not trust microwaves, and still don't to this day. Microwaves are an amazing utility, but there are some things that just cant be done with them, like making crunchy nachos.  

My little brother and sister making some cool art.

The dog Simba looks around the corner of a deep message. In English, the sign reads, "To hug, kiss, love (you)." No need to look for any other messages Simba, the meaning here is clear and simple. Love is all you need. 

And what about you? What is the ethics around this sort of "art." Do we call this defacing public or private property? Does the message over ride the means? How would you feel to wake up to this one morning on your wall? 

Little Antonio clapping happily in our bedroom. I think he is excited to get big sister and I up and ready to start the day from our post breakfast nap. Yeah, the good life. 

The syrup Gabs and I bought in the White City being put to good use. Fresh pancakes, blueberries, bananas, strawberries, pineapple slices and syrup make for the kind of second meal which forces a hunger upon you, even if you just ate. 

Little Antonio stealing some cookies.

This photo makes the day's post for me. My father, introducing and teaching the game of chess to little brother in the same way that I learned. Its even the same wooden chess set from which I learned the finer rules and refined my strategies. 

And, the game of chess is also the go-to example I tend to use when discussing the marriage of conditional and natural abilities. Not that I consider my self a teacher by profession, though I know plenty and have lectured at the head of the class room for many a courses. By discussion, my opinion on student's abilities boil down to this one axiom: that all children deserve equal opportunity, though not every child is equal. 

What I mean to say is that we are each born with natural talents and predispositions, be them liabilities or assets. The social conditions and factors applied to those natural traits stimulate growth, or dissuades the natural gift from growing. And it is the role of the teacher to identify the stronger of these traits within each student, and blossom it. This is counter to the standardization of bringing each student up to a level of expectations.

Some people are naturally talented in playing the game of chess. With some training, they can be great. Others will find the game boring. Others still do not show strength in the game's parameters at all - but that does not make them less (or more) smart than the best chess player in the world. Finally, that the men in this family all seem to have a natural ability in playing chess, either by genetics or exposure, I look forward to the day when little Antonio can move around the pieces without any help, and start learning the small consequences of not thinking at least a few moves ahead in strategy. 

Strategic love,
-A