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Michelle My Bell

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Posts posted by Michelle My Bell

    Going back to the U.S. in one week and I am a giant ball of ANXIETY

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    I know that you are trying to tell us how wonderful Colombia is, but you just totally made the US sound like a bunch of morons. 

     

     

    @Amy in NH:  Your interest is great!   There are so many things...  Many of the people who live in the USA have absolutely no knowledge of, or, interest in,  what goes on in other countries. However, most people who live here in Colombia, for one example, since this is where I live, have great knowledge about what goes on in the USA. From movies, TV and the music.  They know about current events there. A lot of the food available in the USA is not fresh. Almost everything we eat is fresh. I cannot remember the last time we purchased something that was frozen, other than some kind of juice or berries I purchased for my wife to make a drink from, a couple of months ago. And, Ice Cream. We have a fence surrounding our lot. When I see homes in the USA that are not fenced in, the first thing I think about is their vulnerability to crime and that people can just walk right up to their front door, or knock out a window and get into their house to rob them. That is because of zoning regulations there and/or homeowners association regulations.  Although there are many homes here where people can walk up to the front door of a house too... The doctors here are usually much more caring of their patients,  They are not, as my Ophthalmologist in Dallas told me, after I was his patient for approximately 26 years, taught in Medical School to be "distant" from their patients. There are many people here who can make or repair things. That has become almost a lost art in the USA. Services here are usually much less expensive. People there who think our streets are not paved, but the reality is that Colombia is far advanced in things like the Telecommunications available to us. The meat we purchase is grass fed, something they are now beginning to offer in the USA, at higher prices than meat that is from cattle raised in feed lots. The guns. Here, one needs special permission to own firearms, legally. The list goes on...  People who make inane comments like a Mexican (!) man who was working in a Denny's Restaurant we were in, with my late friend in Texas, one morning for Breakfast. When he discovered we were from Colombia, he made a comment about the wonderful Cocaine. My wife quickly put him down when she explained to him that we wouldn't know, because we don't have any available here, because it is all for export to the USA/Canada/Europe.   The welfare system there where generations of people have never worked. Here, the government has some kind of program where people get $ every month, I see them sometimes, ahead of me in line, when I am waiting to use an ATM machine, but I believe that is very new and that there are not generations of people who have never worked. Many people here work very very  hard, for very little money.  I know, when I go to the supermarket, those people pay the same prices for food that we do. It is hard for us to exist on my retirement income, so I know that people with much lower incomes do not have the same kind of  diet that we do. The violence in the schools in the USA. There have been some incidents here, but nothing like what has happened in brick and mortar schools in the USA.  The homes there are built from sticks of wood, as they were in the 1800's.  When we see the aftermath of Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Earthquakes,  Fires, we wonder why the people in the USA still live in homes that are so beautiful, cosmetically, but so flimsy. Our house has a concrete structure and between the concrete piers the walls are structural brick. I believe the only people here who live in homes made of wood are extremely poor. A large percentage of cars and pickups here have been converted, so that they do not run on gasoline. They run on Liquid Natural Gas. That will become common in the USA with time. Self service gasoline is not an option here. When I rent a car in the USA, I need to get help so I can use the self service gas pump, something that is so "normal" to people who live in the USA and I feel really dumb...  Many people here have lived in the USA and/or have family members who live there. Over the years, we have met a number of families who moved back to Colombia, because they did not want their children to grow up with the drugs and violence in U.S. brick and mortar schools. This is long, but may cover some of the things that Overseas Americans experience when going to the USA.

     

    Teach me how to shop for toiletries/household items using Amazon Prime

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    I keep hearing about people who buy all their household items on Amazon using some sort of subscriber service and how they save so much money but every time I look at Amazon, I am not seeing what they are talking about. This could be really helpful when I go back to college in the fall as I am uber busy then so I'd like to understand it and see if it has any application for me. So any help understanding it, tips for using it and how to get started would be great!

    Know of any free youtube Learn to Play Guitar?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    My daughter (age 11) has been taking acoustic guitar lessons for a couple of months and has really enjoyed it. Well her guitar teacher is getting married and won't be teaching the rest of the summer. I really want to keep her going since she is so interested. SOOOO, I am looking for a really great set of videos that she can learn from in the meantime. Any suggestions for good ones? 

     

     

    What makes a successful day & What is good for you/your family?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    This is actually a two part question. I was thinking this morning about how I spend so much of my time doing useless activities, I don't spend enough time in meaningful activities with the kids, etc... So I started to think about things that I have done in the past that made for what felt like a successful day. It wasn't just work activities, it was a number of different factors. So my first question is...

     

    What needs to happen in order for you to lay your head down at night and say, "That was a successful day"?

     

    Some of my answers would be...

    • getting up early
    • exercising
    • reading my Bible
    • Working around the house
    • Teaching my kids
    • Loving on my kids

    My second question is then...

     

    What is good for you? / your kids?

     

    Some of my answers would be...

     

                ME

    • Exercise
    • Limiting time on electronics
    • Eating well
    • Being organized
    • Reading to and loving on my kids
    • Working alongside my kids in meaningful activities
    • Reading my Bible 

               

               KIDS

    • Time spent outdoors in nature
    • Healthy eating choices
    • Consistency
    • Expectations
    • Play 
    • Daily time reading

     

    Tree People... Should I get a Norway Maple or a Tulip Tree?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    I am in NW Ohio, which I think is zone 5. My yard is rather smallish and I plan to be here only about 4 more years before I move on so I want something to provide shade asap. Right now my backyard is drenched in sunlight which I can't stand. I am very much a shade person. Generally, my soil is sandy in most of my yard, but the area I am going to plant the tree tends to be much richer. The grass grows very well without watering there. 

    Tree People... Should I get a Norway Maple or a Tulip Tree?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    I went to a tree nursery near my home looking for a shade tree for my backyard yesterday. I told the man I wanted something non-invasive and good for shade. He showed me a Norway Maple and seemed like that was what I should get. Years ago, I learned about Tulip Trees and loved their cat like leaves and size. They had one of both but he talked me into the Maple. I paid for it (picking it up later), but now I am regretting my decision based on some stuff I read online about Norway Maples. Do you think I should switch to the Tulip Tree? Any pros or cons for either?

    College Year 1 is done

    in The College Board

    Posted

    We are on parallel paths, except I need the job for the summer. 

     

     

    I appreciate the comments, I'll write more later, I'm exhausted and trying to do too many things today. 

     

     

    I have been delivering newspapers for the last two years so I am so ready for some other form of $$. I forgot to mention that I am also planning to try to CLEP out of math this summer. I think I am going to go through ALEKS to prepare me. 

    College Year 1 is done

    in The College Board

    Posted

    Well we are living parallel lives because I just finished my first year of college as well. I also have a 4.0 which I am super excited about because I really didn't do well in high school. I hated high school.

     

    My first semester I took two classes one online and the second on campus. Then this past semester I took four classes on campus. Because I had a few college credits from years ago I was able to complete a full freshman year.

     

    It was really hard learning to be a college student, as a homeschool mom to four, a part-time worker, and to deal with when the worst winter on record when you work outdoors.

     

    I got through it and I loved it. I'm excited to have the summer off but it's taken me the last couple of weeks to even realize that I can relax a little because I haven't the last two years. Oh I forgot to mention that I got divorced in February also. That really didn't affect anything however, because we've been separated and living apart for the last three years.

     

    I'm registered for five classes in the fall and I'm hoping with my GPA that I will get some scholarships. I didn't have anything except for federal grants this year because years ago I went to college for short time and because of my youth and stupidity I stopped going without withdrawing which lowered my transfer GPA, and made me a conditional student unable to get financial aid my first semester. So that made scholarships impossible. I feel confident that I'll probably get some now that I've proven myself over the last year.

     

    I changed my major from communications to visual arts with a minor in environmental science. I will also be taking some film courses. My hope is to one day produce educational films for homeschoolers. I also want to work locally with children teaching about nature and combining that with artistic expression. That's the Charlotte Mason homeschooler in me. I'm sure more opportunities and ideas will open up as I continue to go to college and I'm excited to see what the future will hold. I feel confident that going to college is not in vain and that is already made me a better person.

     

    Oh I also forgot to mention that my oldest daughter who graduated from homeschooling last year also started college this year. She and I took two classes together this last semester and it was a great success for both of us. We very much enjoyed it. Next semester we aren't taking any classes together unfortunately but I hope to in the future.

     

    Congratulations on what you're doing and you might enjoy a book that I got from my library called "Adults in College, A Survival Guide for Nontraditional Students" by Wanda Schindley.

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