Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone at Viewpoints!

Of all the assignments I accepted as a journalism student at Miami-Dade Community College (now Miami-Dade College), the most difficult was being Catalyst's first foreign correspondent during the Fall Term of the 1988-89 academic year; I'd signed up for the Semester in Spain program to fulfill the state of Florida's foreign language requirement, and in a momentary lapse of sanity I "brilliantly" suggested to both my editor and faculty advisor that I could try my hand at reporting from abroad.

Unfortunately, things didn't go exactly the way I'd envisioned. Not only did I have a bad case of writer's block during the first three weeks, I also got extremely depressed, then suffered from a nasty cold that lasted -- on and off -- from mid-October till a week after I arrived back home on Dec. 18, 1988. With the sole exception of a column I sent on the last week of October, none of my dispatches to Miami-Dade made it to the States before the Christmas break.

Though most of my articles were told in first-person columns, the last one was done in traditional third-person "news" style. I had hoped to do them all this way, but I found that the stories were easier to write -- and therefore send -- in more personal terms. I did, of course, interview students, faculty, and staff for all of my Seville-written columns, but they were all told with the "I" voice.

We're not quite ready to go home broke from that journalistic straitjacket not only by design but by circumstance. As our 42-student group was preparing for final exams and packing for home, Michelle Kirby -- another student foreign correspondent who was writing for not one but two newspapers -- and I found ourselves wondering how to wrap up our coverage of our last week in Spain. She, too, had done most of her columns in first-person narrative, but she was having a fit coming up with the last column. We mulled it over during lunch one late November day and decided to write our final article together.

As I remember it 21 years later, we worked together as if we had been collaborating for years. She handled most of the non-Miami-Dade student interviews, while I got quotes from the three other South Florida students in the group. We then spent most of a long early December afternoon batting out the first draft of our article, each helping the other with a turn of phrase here, a transition there; the words seemed to flow effortlessly and naturally in a symbiosis of styles that blended well.

Unfortunately, our attempts to send our last batch of "copy" back to the States in time for a December publication were disrupted by the vagaries of the Spanish postal service. Although Michelle and I spent quite a bit of our pesetas to get the mail upgraded from regular air mail to Special Delivery. our November and December columns didn't reach our colleges till after the winter break. They did, of course, get published, but it was somewhat bizarre to see a column about holiday plans and homecoming plans several months later.

We're not quite ready to go home yet

(written in December 1988, published March 2, 1989)

Alex Diaz-Granados
Columnist

SEVILLE, Spain (CCIS Program)
The winter holiday season has arrived and here in Seville the 42 students participating in the CCIS Semester in Spain program are looking beyond the upcoming final exams and planning their return home or further European travel.

Already, they have celebrated Thanksgiving, traditionally a very homey holiday, truly away from home as they are 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.

Most of the group celebrated a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner, prepared by Italian chefs at the three-star restaurant Carlino. The meal, judging by the students' comments, was psychologically, if not gastronomically, successful.

"The group really came together," said Sandra Langlois, a freshman from Miami-Dade's South Campus. "It was really special for me because I am French, and it was my first American Thanksgiving. I really got the true feeling of the tradition of the holiday -- togetherness."

Now, a few weeks later, students' thoughts are geared to either further travel throughout the holiday or their homecoming.

Melissa Miller, a senior from Lake Forest College in Chicago, said, "I'll be spending the holidays in Vienna, Austria, so I'll be sure to have a white Christmas, and I won't be alone because I'm traveling with a bunch of friends."

However, the majority of the participants in the program are ready to go home -- some more than others.

"I'm ready to go home," said Bob Holzweiss, a junior from St. Bonaventure College in New York State. "I've been here 12 weeks, and that's enough."

"I miss the luxuries of home -- convenience stores and fast food joints -- and also my car, my family and friends," said Ingrid Gottlieb, a student from Broward Community College. "And I miss my boyfriend."

Others, such as Wendy Page, a sophomore from South Campus, decided to stay for the Spring Term.

"Three months is just not enough time for me to get a full taste of the culture and lifestyle that Seville has to offer," she said.

And although he's leaving at the end of the semester, Fairfield University's Mike Boucher agreed.

"A lot of good things have happened here in terms of self-discovery, friendship, independence, and sense of perspective, and I don't think I'm ready to go home."

Also contributing to this column is Michelle Kirby, foreign correspondent for Beacon, North Adams State College, Mass. and Mainsheet, Cape Cod CC's student newspaper

When I was 25 years old and still working toward an AA degree in Journalism/Mass Communications at what's now Miami-Dade College, I was accepted into the College Consortium for International Studies' Semester in Spain program. For 12 weeks in the Fall Term of the 1988-89 academic year, I lived and studied in Seville, Spain's third largest city, along with 41 other students from around the U.S.

Not knowing what, exactly, I was getting myself into, I also volunteered to send dispatches from Seville to Catalyst, my home campus' student newspaper as its first foreign correspondent. Having had several years' worth of experience as a reporter and section editor, I thought that it would be a somewhat tricky but still manageable assignment, but in the days before the Internet and e-mail were available to the average person, it ended up being harder and more frustrating than I'd bargained for.

Nevertheless, I did manage to, as we reporter types like to say, get the story, and between Dec. 1, 1988 to December 13, 1989, Catalyst ran an intermittent series of columns I wrote both during and after my study-abroad stint.

Because my thoughts and impressions of the time are far clearer than any I could try to write down some 18 years after coming home, I present the prospective study-abroad student (or his parents) with an article written nearly 12 months after my homecoming from Spain.

All prices and expenses mentioned below are, of course, from 1988; if you are interested in participating in a study-abroad program, head to your college or university's Foreign Language Department and inquire within.

From the December 13, 1989 issue of Catalyst, Miami-Dade Community College (South Campus)

Study-abroad program gave me learning text never could

Alex Diaz-Granados

Managing Editor

One of the most interesting aspects of taking a foreign language course is the opportunity to participate in one of the various study-abroad programs offered by the Foreign Language Department's Overseas Study Program.

I know because last year I participated in the Miami-Dade Community College/College Consortium for International Studies' Semester in Spain program.

For three months in the fall of 1988, 42 students (including me) from colleges and universities all over the United States lived and studied in Seville, one of Spain's largest and most beautiful cities.

And, for many of us, it was a learning experience unlike any other.

Not only did we learn more about the Spanish language, but we also came back with insights about Spain's culture, history and people that aren't available in any textbook.

We went to classes (ranging from the required language courses to classes dealing with Spain's history, political system and artistic heritage) Mondays through Thursdays -- either at the CCIS Center or the main campus of the University of Seville -- while most Fridays we went on cultural visits to places of interest in and around Seville.

There were also day trips to such places as Jerez de la Frontera, La Rabida and Cordoba.

We also went on an overnight trip to the city of Granada, the city whose architecture inspired George Merrick when he founded Coral Gables back in the '20s.

Of course, there were other benefits as well.

We learned how to live in a vastly different cultural environment on our own. (Even though one could make an argument that transferring to an out-of-state institution is a similar experience, it's like comparing cats and dogs.)

We not only had to learn a foreign language and take a 15-credit course load, we had to adapt to the average Spaniard's lifestyle (especially mealtimes), difficult as that may have been to us Americans.

My fellow CCISer Wendy Page, sophomore, said, "My experiences in Seville have helped me become a stronger person with broader horizons in both heart and mind."

My own horizons were expanded by my three-month stay in Spain. I learned a great deal about how other people live, and how those people perceive the United States, mainly through living and arguing with two Spanish roommates, Demetrio and Juan Carlos.

The cost of my trip to Seville, including hotels, tour buses, tuition (for 15 credits), and airfare was approximately $3,500. Rent and extra food was another $1,500.

This may sound like a lot of money, but you can get guaranteed student loans from Financial Aid. Also, Pell Grants will cover cost of tuition at Miami-Dade prices ($76.80 for a three-credit class).

It's Veterans' Day. If you are currently on active duty, a veteran, a service spouse, or relative of one of the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States of America, thank you for your sacrifices, devotion to duty and love of country. To those who say that reading books about military history is not "for" them, I can only say this. I respect you and wouldn't want to twist your arm to read at least one good book about American soldiers at war, but I think that enough of us read, say, Citizen Soldiers or Day of Battle, we'd understand the meaning of Veterans Day a bit more and feel more connected to our airmen, soldiers, sailors, Marines and Coast Guard personnel.

Where have all the HVs and Comments gone?  I write good reviews on a regular basis, read and rate other reviews every day, and as of late, I'm lucky if I get just one rate and/or comment.

I must be on a writing groove today. Not only did I do a review here today, but I also wrote an article for Associated Content!

For those who may be interested, here's the URL:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2316952/five_terrific_gift_ideas_that_wont.html?cat=46

Yowza! I broke the 75K View Barrier! Hopefully I'll get to 100K review reads way before September of 2010!

300 reviews! I finally did my 300th! Of course this was more, shall we say, relevant in the pre-VIP days when Viewpoints had the Publisher's Circle award for 400 reviews. Now it's probably less impressive.....But I got to 300. That makes me somewhat happy.

I've updated my review of Band of Brothers to reflect my recent purchase of the Blu-ray edition of that awesome HBO miniseries.  The basic content of the Blu-ray set is essentially the same as the DVD edition, but HBO Home Video has addressed some of the issues I had with the DVDs (pricing and lack of English-language subtitles) plus added a few new features exclusive to the Blu-rays!

Today there's some improvement as far as my cold is concerned; I still get a few coughing fits now and then but its mostly dry coughs now, and my nose no longer runs. My throat is still a tad sore and I have a bit of a headache, but I was able to get some online work done and a review written....... I want to thank my Viewpoints friends for all their kind comments and good wishes; they raised my spirits and quite possibly speeded up my getting-over-the-worst-part-of-the-cold stage! Thanks a billion, gang!

Funny (peculiar, not ha-ha) bit of data: Writing and colds don't mix well, at least not for me. Even if I don't have a headache (because the DayQuil has it under control), my nose tends to run when I'm trying to concentrate. Not exactly fun, since I can't sit still and NOT write!

Ugh. I have a nasty, nasty cold.  I managed to write something for today - barely - and now I feel as though I ran the marathon.

Wow! I like the new badges and titles! I know there's still room for improvement in some things, but all in all, I like the new VIP program.

Got my 280th Review in, too!

Happy Independence Day since it'll be July 4th by the time most of my VP friends read this!

Did my 250th Viewpoints review today. 250th! Who'd have "thunk" it?!?!

Check out my recently published content on AC:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1620547/obamas_first_100_days_the_trouble_with.html">Obama's First 100 Days: the Trouble with Hugo, or Re-Engaging a Leftist-Leaning Latin Americ

Thanks to everyone for the nice comments regarding my reaching the Writer 4 rank; I really appreciate it.  Hopefully it won't take me 15 months to get to the next level. (Maybe we ought to have Writer 5 ranks to make the climb up a bit more tolerable?)

It's warm and muggy in Miami right now, but that's going to change starting tonight; there's a cold front coming and it will be 49 degrees tomorrow morning!

 In case some of you haven't been to my reviewsnthoughts blog, here's a sample of today's entry:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.... - Charles Dickens 

 

In August of 2009 I will observe - with mixed feelings - the 10th anniversary of my "becoming connected" to the Internet and the beginning of a long chain of friendships and other relationships that shaped my life during the past decade.

I say "with mixed feelings" because, as with any endeavor where socializing and even romantic atteaction are involved, my online existence has had its share of good times as well as incredibly bad times.    

From my reviewsnthoughts blog:

 Tale of Two Bizarre Moms

 

On the West Coast we have Nadya Suleman, the 33-year-old single mom who, in addition to already having six children, recently gave birth to octuplets at the Kaiser Permamente Hospital  in Bellflower, Calfornia,. Meanwhile, in an Orlando jail cell another mom, Casey Anthony, sat alone, thinking who-knows-what even as her murdered daughter, Caylee Marie was given a public funeral.

A sneak peek at my Orble blog:

In my forty-plus years on this big, blue marble, I've lived through what the old Chinese curse calls "interesting times."


These days, sadly, i'm kept awake not by the spectre of an Al Qaeda attack on our country or whether an armed robber willl break into my house. Those fears do lurk somewhere in my mind, of course, but I don't think about them on a conscious level.

I am still trying to find the right blog venue that works - in all senses of the word - for me....so I am trying this other one out, as well.

 If anyone is interested in checking that one out, please go to

http://www.orble.com/random-thoughts-from-a-cluttered-mind/

Again, please leave me some feedback...on the comments section if at all possible at Orble, but if not, here will suffice.   Thanks!

Want to see what else I write about, other than reviews?  I've got a new, non-Viewpoints blog up now. Please check it out at: http://reviewsnthoughts.today.com/

Please visit and let me know what you think! Leave comments! Tell your friends!

Happy New Year to one and all!

Merry Christmas (a couple of days early) and a Happy Hannukah to everyone...reviewers, readers, and friends!

I wrote and submitted my first computer review ever, so I hope I didn't botch it. 

Remember Pearl Harbor...Sunday, December 7, 1941....a date which will live in infamy....

Lest we forget

Happy Thanksgiving, one and all!

Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Well, today the long Presidential campaign finally, finally comes to an end.  I already voted, via absentee ballot, for Barack Obama, so my part in it was done weeks ago.  One way or another, whether my candidate wins or not, history will be made tonight - we'll either have our first black President or, failing that, our first female Vice President.  (I'm not sure, but if McCain wins, I think we'll have our first Vietnam War vet President.)

One of the not-so-good things about blogging, whether here or on MySpace, is that sometimes other writing gigs (especially those that pay) take precedence over creating entries in a Web log or "daily journal" such as this one.  I know it's been three weeks to the day since I last blogged here, but between my paying gigs and writing reviews/discussion board entries here, I haven't had much free time to update.

One of the other-than-review things I've been working on has been to cover the 2008 election from a Florida perspective at Associated Content, a totally kick-butt (can I say that here?) website for freelance writers that pays for content.  It is free to join, and if you have a PayPal account they pay - most of the time - upfront for articles they either ask for (Call for Content) or you submit on your own.   (Note to self: Maybe this can be a good site to review!)

I mention this because one of the things that's kept me pretty busy this week has been the Call for Content thing; I've actually gotten e-mail requests for articles about early voting and other aspects of the election so far, and being a freelancer who needs the dough, I've done them all.

If anyone is interested in reading my non-review musings, please check out my articles; here's the URL to one of them:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1160439/florida_early_voter_rush_is_on.html?cat=9

Okay, since my last post:

 I bought a new TV for my mom

Had a falling out with an online friend and still can't figure out why

Written various reviews and then self-promoted them on Facebook

 

Yes, I did a review of a rather risk-ay nature...I hope it was tastefully done! Well, it's STILL not quite the Fourth of July, but I do have 100 reviews up. Mission Accomplished! It's almost Independence Day, and I have almost 100 reviews up! It's spring. It's warm. It's going to get warmer. 50 reviews done at Viewpoints...has it really been five years since I first wrote a review at amazon.com and started this online career? Oh. joy. I'm 45 today. (March 5) Happy New Year to everyone at Viewpoints! Holiday shopping is done...at last. Thank the Force for Amazon! December 6: Feeling a bit tired but happy. Faith in your friends is never a weakness...supreme overconfidence is..... Trying to acclimate myself here is fun but challenging.