LOCAL NEWS: Abortion - a Manx woman's story

In our days everyone speaks about freedom. I wonder in what degree a woman or a man is free? Is our freedom just a dream? Is not it limited by the local law? The abortion was a controversial subject for long time. The Isle of Man law allows the abortion in few cases: the future mother’s life or health it is in danger, the baby risk a seriously handicap or he is the result of a rape. What about a woman who decides by her self she’s not prepared to be a parent?

A 19 young woman old get pregnant when great opportunities able to change her life open to her. Decided to change his working class situation, she is not prepared to become a mother. Unfortunately, the Isle of Man low doesn’t allow the abortion in her case. The only issue she finds is to go in one clinic of England. She feels like a prisoner of her own land, that she never left before. Our young woman had managed to finance her trip to a clinic from Liverpool. Not any member of her family could be present, for the simple fact that they couldn’t afford it.

Today, with difficult and unforgettable souvenirs, our character finished his studies and got a doctorate. She says: “I would've liked to have a choice”. I think we are never free; we have to submit at the rules that our society had create before…function of his believes. But the society is always changing, so why we don’t change her rules also?

(Source of the story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/isleofman/content/articles/2008/08/20/pro_choice_feature.shtml)

SEX AND THE CITY

Are you familiar with the American TV series called « Sex and the City »? Most of the people don’t watch at this kind of movie…anyway, no man does. One Friday, I was tied and I watched this film…and then every Friday I was in front of my television. There is no suspense or anything special; it is all about relationship without teaching you something you don’t already know. How this TV series become popular?

I don’t have the answer and I can’t explain exactly why I was watching it? So maybe I didn’t choose the best title for this blog message.

When I decided to write in my blog this evening, I have been thinking at my two friends. We used to talk about everything and have a lot of fun when we were together in Strasbourg, like Carrie’s friends in “Sex and the city”. I miss them a lot. I thought I forgot laughing because since I’m in London I'm feeling a little bit isolated….not alone, just isolated. I’m not really complaining; all the starts are difficult, for me or for my classmates.

Being isolated temporary it’s not such a bad thing. You realise how important are yours relationships with people you know and you’ll appreciate that. But we all need to communicate, that’s why we’ll never be alone.

Communicate in English it might be hard for me and my classmates, but surely is funny.
So today I laughed and they laughed with me. Maybe the fact we are all strangers and we want the same thing (learning English) makes that we are on the same wavelength.

LONGS AND DIFFICULTS PHRASES

Imagine that you loosed a not so distant family member and you heared about on the grapevine. It’s supposed to affect you lees than if someone close to you would told you the same event? I wonder if we are an insensible and egocentric individual, because a fact like this doesn’t awake any emotion in us. Despite this cold appearance that you are showing to your self and to other people, I know you could not stop thinking about it. I don’t judge you for yours feelings, because I feel the same as you.

(for her memory)

ABOUT CULTURE

" Culture is more often a source of conflict than of synergy. Cultural differences are a nuisance at best and often a disaster." Prof. Geert Hofstede

The Anglo-Saxon culture is known been a highly individualistic one. In my society the group is most important unit; we call that “collectivism”. These cultural dimensions defines the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups.

Arrived in London 4 days ago, I still can't verify the Hofstede’s theory. If I’m not already integrated in the British society from here, maybe it’s because

• 
  
  in London, there are more than 270 nationalities.




• 
  
  in the quarter were I’m living I have seen just Arabian and Indian people




• 
  
  in my flat I'm speaking with no one




• 
  
  in my classes just the teachers are British

The economic globalization infuence in one way the culture? Can we speak about an harmonisation of differents cultures?