Achoo

I don't know why exactly, but I am so stuffy that every time I see light I start sneezing. I never had to blow my nose this much in the winter! Harumph.

And today's World Cup action was... well... let's see.
I thought: Japan 2, Australia 1 .What happened? Australia 3, Japan 1 (quite a surprise!)
I thought: US 2, Czechs 1. What happened? Czechs 3, US 0. (ouch. see previous post)
I thought: Italy 1, Ghana 0. What happened? Italy 2, Ghana 0. Well I was right about Italy.

My desire for European teams to do badly isn't being fulfilled... harumph. Today was not a good Cup day for me.

Tomorrow's predictions:
Korea vs. Togo. Dad and N will be there! Which is pretty exciting. I'll call it for Korea 2-0. Though it would be cool if an African team won a game...
France vs. Switzerland. Hm two European teams. I'll go with my grandmother's roots and hope that Switzerland will win (though given my luck today...), though I'll call it for France 1-0.
Brazil vs. Croatia. Even though I am an Argentina fan, who doesn't love to watch Brazil play? Brazil 4-1. I hope Ronaldinho does something pretty. :-)

Ouch.

Ouch. That is all I am going to say about the US game. OUCH.

But if we were going to lose, at least it is to a good team this time. It's not like France '98, at least.

Sunday wrap-up

And for our daily dose of World Cup madness (no, I didn't watch any games today). My predicions were OK but not great. Let's check them out:

Netherlands beats Serbia 3-0. I was correct about the outcome but not the score. Holland won 1-0. Though emotionally I want Argentina and Cote d'Ivoire to go through, and in order for that to happen... well it is still possible but difficult. I like the idea of taking out the Europeans. I guess it has to do with my resentment with the way the 32 slots for the finals are split up... look at a map sometime and you will see what I mean.
Mexico ties Iran 0-0. Mexico beat Iran 3-1. I had hope when Iran tied it up 1-1, but the Mexicans just kept scoring. I see it likely that Mexico will get out of the group stage (they don't deserve it! They don't deserve to be the Cabeza de Serie from CONCACAF, it should have been the US!), but I comfort myself in knowing they will have to face the survivors of group C (Argentina, Holland, Serbia, Cote d'Ivoire) so they probably wouldn't get any farther than that.
Portugal beats Angola 3-2. Portugal beat Angola 1-0 with the only goal of the game coming 3 minutes in. Meaning Portugal and Mexico tied for the top of group D with 3 points each. There are still 2 games to be played...

And for my predictions of tomorrow's games: Australia vs. Japan. This one is tricky, I'll call in Japan's favor by 1 goal, let's put it at 2-1. US vs. Czech Republic. I want the US to win, despite many of my co-citizen's apathy towards the tournament... the Czechs are a strong European team (remember when they were still part of Czechoslovakia?) who performed well in 2004's UEFA cup. The US isn't too bad either, though as usual our national expectations are not particularly high - I just ask not to be embarassed, and it would be nice to get out of the group stage. With that in mind, I think it will be a close and exciting game, and I'll optimistically call it for the Yanks 2-1. Tomorrow's third game is Italy vs. Ghana, the other game for the US's group E. I'll call it for Italy (despite injury rumors...) 1-0, though in my heart I hope the Africans win.

Hilarity

Continuing my World Cup obsession... there are funny videos on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. check them out: Daily Show and Colbert Report.

Stephen Colbert claims that it should be our (America's) goal to completely ignore the World Cup, while on the Daily Show John Hodgman describes the popularity and importance of the World Cup in the following terms: "The World Cup is like the Olympics plus the World Series plus the birth of your first child, all multiplied by x, where x equals awesome." Ha, ha.

I swear I have done things not related to the World Cup today. They just aren't as interesting. Because the World Cup is all sorts of goodness. :-)

How correct am I in my predictions?

And for today's roundup:

England vs. Paraguay 1-0 -- I was right, though no Englishman scored a goal... rather, the Paraguayan captain scored an own-goal...
Trinidad and Tobago vs. Sweden 1-3 -- I am delighted to be wrong! It was a 0-0 tie and the first time Trinidad and Tobago has scored a point in a World Cup final!
ARGENTINA vs. Cote d'Ivoire 2-0. -- I was right about Argentina winning (YES!), though Cote d'Ivoire scored late in the second half to make it 2-1 and a nervewracking finish for Argentine fans such as myself. Goals from Crespo and Saviola, who won Man of the Match. YAY!

I am not used to hot weather

So for my predictions yesterday... I was wrong on the Germany Costa Rica game and correct on the Ecuador Poland game, though not on the score. Oh, well.

I saw the goals. They were pretty.

Now that I am no longer in South America, it is hot. It has come to my attention that I am sorely lacking in my summer wardrobe. I am thinking that it has something to do with the fact that the last year that I spent July and the first part of August in the US was 2002. Nonetheless, something must be done. And though they have put my air conditioning unit back in the window, it doesn't turn on. At least it is supposed to be somewhat cooler this weekend, and I have a fan.

I ordered some new books last night. I'll admit they are on the reading list, but I am still excited to read them! What a dork.

I miss S a lot, but we are doing pretty well I think with the separation this time. It helps that it is not going to be very long. And I am very happy because I used my new apron (yes I asked for an apron for my birthday last year... I make a mess of my clothes in the kitchen) and I didn't spill at all. I think it brings me good luck.

And, todays predictions: England Paraguay 1-0 (though I would prefer that England lose... I'm being *realistic*), Trinidad Sweden 1-3, ARGENTINA! Cote d-Ivoire 2-0. We'll see how the day wraps up.

And to look forward to tomorrow: Serbia vs. Netherlands, Mexico vs. Iran, and Angola vs. Portugal. I'll go ahead and make my predictions now. Netherlands beats Serbia 3-0. Mexico ties Iran 0-0, and Portugal beats Angola 3-2. I really want Mexico to lose. It's totally random but... well... that is what tends to happen in the Mundial. :-)

Mundial!

For those of you living in a hole, WORLD CUP begins today! One hour until the first game: Germany vs. Costa Rica. Also this afternoon, Poland vs. Ecuador. Much to my own dismay (and with a million excuses but still feeling sort of silly), I am not nearly as prepared for the tournament as I might like to be. I am not intimately acquainted with the lineups of my favorite teams, and I can't remember off the top of my head who is in what group. The shame! So my totally uneducated guesses for today's games: Germany Costa Rica tie 1-1, Ecuador beats Poland 2-1. Again, totally uneducated. But I will be entertained by seeing how close I get without having any money at risk.

But for me the important games aren't played until later - Argentina has it's first game tomorrow (followed by other games the 16th and the *BIG* one the 21st) and the US plays the 12th, the 17th, and the 22nd. It's still sad that Chile isn't in the Mundial, but to be honest it makes my who-I-am-rooting-for rubric a little easier. So, we'll see.

Tomorrow: England vs. Paraguay, Trinidad vs. Sweden, Argentina vs. Cote d'Ivoire.

long equation

All I am going to say for now:

car + plane + plane + rude customs officials + plane + transfer bus + bus (late!) + taxi [36.5 hours traveling] = being at home but missing S.

I need some sleep.

Los pinguinos

*WARNING* This is a post on Chilean politics... and current events... and well it is interesting so you should read it anyways.
New York Times: Chilean Promised a New Deal, Now Striking Youth Demand it

The Economist article is subscription only: School's Out: Freedom is loose in the land, and the children know it.

Crib sheet: For the last few weeks high school students have been on strike or have taken over their schools in a protest of the quality (or lack thereof) of education in Chile and the govenrnment has been negotiating with the students. There have also been protests and incidents of police burtality, as well as delinquency and vandalism along the main road in Santiago, the Alameda. It is THE topic in the country - everything is about the students and the state of education. The students have been iun dialogue with the government and at the end of last week the government offered a program as a response to the student's demands.

I'll admit that I think the government's proposal is entirely reasonable and I am actually pretty surprised that it has taken this long for press in English to cover the high school student movement... they call themselves "Pinguinos" from the March of the Penguins... anyways... calling the topic of the "pase escolar" and the "tarifa escolar" (actually two different things: the first is a card that identifies the student as qualified for a reduced fare on public transportation, while the second is the actual fare) free bus fare... well the terms of complaint in English sound sort of silly. Free public transportation? hm. No article really explained the issues that most students have with the jornada escolar completa (full school day), which as someone who came from a system with that style, well I don't really understand the pedagogical objection to an eventual change to that system.

OK a bit of an explanation of the JEC is in order. Many schools here have two jornadas, or schedules, and students only go to one. So for example you only go to school in the morning or in the afternoon, and teachers give the same classes n the morning as in the afternoon. The whole point of the JEC is to expand the offerings of education and to allow for more variety and more learning time. However, a good implementation of this change will take time and resources; I can understand the students complaining abut a change when they have teachers who are not prepared and there is not curriculum in place to take advantage of the change. But eh the change in and of itself is a good thing because it will widen opportunities (this is supposedly a social movement...) and improve the quality of the Chilean education. I really think most students are against it because they don't want to be in school all day, and that is it.

They also haven't mentioned a lot of things that are sort of a huge matter of discussion here... the growing division between the student leaders, the violence in the centro caused by and I quote "lumpen" rather than normal people, why people complain about the LOCE (other than the centralization issues and Pinochet)...

There is a national strike tomorrow (Monday) in support of the students, who didn't accept the government's proposal basically only because of the tarifa escolar. S doesn't have classes because his university is on strike to support the students.

Also, I should mention that S's alma mater, the Liceo de Aplicación, was one of the first to mobilize. S is very proud. He even wore his old school tie last week. But no worries, we have stayed away from the protests. I have no desire to have tear gas thrown at me or to be knocked down by a water cannon. Anyways - let me know what you think!

And a random correction: school uniforms are not black and white, they are navy blue and white. And not all schools have the same colors...

and I am still not healthy...

I have managed to have a cold nearly all week. Not cool.

On a positive note, I have been able to spend lots of time with my in-laws. On the negative side, I haven't been able to do too much else.

Wedding planning is going well... we are almost 100% sure about our choice of venue, which is pretty exciting. I also got my hair cut today... same style but a little shorter. Because it was getting longer.

World Cup is coming.... YAY even though Chile isn't in it... harumph harumph.

At some point I'll write about the student protests here, basically no one in high school in the whole country (OK that is an exaggeration but still) has been in classes because the schools are either on strike or "en toma," demanding educational reform from the government. The government came up with a proposal that was broadcast yesterday but the student's didn't accept it and are now calling for a national strike on Monday. Hm. We need things to be open on Monday. There has also been a bit of violence - over 800 people arrested downtown alone - which is disquieting. Tuesday the police reacted totally out of control and then as people say the lumpen and delinquents came to cause trouble, not the students. Either way that is all that is on the news here. IN case you were interested. At some point I might write about the demands and the process of dialogue between the students and the government... but to be honest I don't see the high school students of the US uniting to force reform of education policy. In that respect, it's pretty cool.

S still has classes. Mish.