Cheap Mexico vacations are not always easy to find, as they seem to be growing in popularity year after year. It can be difficult to select an ‘off-peak’ season at this Central American location, as it is classed as a year-round destination, however, since May through October is classed as the rainy season, this It could be the best time to find cheap vacations in Mexico.

Don’t let the words “rainy season” put you off, as temperatures rarely drop during this time and the rain soon dries up and returns to normal at beaches and pools.

Most tourists head to the eastern Caribbean coast to resorts like Cancun and Cozumel on the Yucatan Peninsula, where you’ll find a plethora of water sports to choose from. You can keep the cost of your cheap Mexico vacation down by choosing one of the wonderful self-catering apartments or quaint guest houses instead of the wonderful all-inclusive hotels. Most resorts have an excellent selection of bars and restaurants, so there are always plenty of things to do in the evening.

There are plenty of excursions that can be done on a budget too with wonderful Mayan villages offering a warm welcome with music, dancing and local cuisine to sample. Experience a thrilling horseback ride through the jungle terrain, go hiking on volcanoes, or go rafting or kayaking. There are many wonderful deep canyons that nature lovers can spend hours exploring, and that’s before they’ve even hit the beaches.

No cheap vacation to Mexico would be complete without a trip to the stunning Mayan city of Chichen Itza, especially beautiful when illuminated by the evening light show. Or there is the beautiful pyramid of Chinkultic, which dates back to 600 AD

If you are in Cancun the nightlife can also be very reasonable with beach parties catering to 15,000 guests at a time, well worth a visit just to soak up the atmosphere at least.

The US dollar offers the best value for money; however, the Mexican peso is the official monetary unit in Mexico. Credit card use is restricted and will always incur a charge, so to keep those cheap Mexico vacations cheap, try to avoid using them.

You’ll find wonderful shopping at most upscale hotels, however these can be very expensive. Cancun’s main street will be buzzing with shoppers, and while you’ll still see designer labels and fashion boutiques, you’ll also find a great selection of souvenir shops and craft stalls. Local markets offer the best places to pick up those inexpensive souvenirs on your cheap Mexico vacation.

So if you look carefully when choosing your vacation and are pretty flexible about when you go, you just might be able to find one of those fantastic cheap Mexico vacations after all.

When it comes to beaches in Florida, many tourists think of crowded places where they can’t see the sand, too many families riding for free, and drunk college students wandering the sand. This can sometimes be difficult to find in the best hidden beaches, the places where it is much easier to find a wonderful view instead of other tourists. Though it may seem hard to think of, Florida actually has quite a few like this.

Think state beaches instead of local beaches. They are usually not hampered by high-rise hotels, congested shopping areas, as well as large numbers of other tourists. Most tourists probably think that North Florida has the perfect beaches, but this is actually a little piece of heaven in the southern part of the state. The recreation area is 524 acres of land, along with fantastic areas for snorkeling and cool, clear water. The game costs $4 for each car and 50 cents per person for daily admission.

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area in Miami is actually another great hidden beach in Florida. When tourists imagine Miami, they think of expensive restaurants, expensive hotels, and glamorous nightlife. Believe it or not, even Miami offers a hidden beach with Bill Baggs. The beach includes a lighthouse built in 1825, a long path of clean sand, and a stunning break from the hustle and bustle of the city. The park costs $5 admission each day for each vehicle.

And also consider checking out Naples Beach in Naples, Florida. This beach has a 10-mile area that stretches directly in front of Millionaire’s Row. As you walk along the beach, you can catch a glimpse of the storied past just by looking at the mansions. This beach often has a deserted and remote feel, even during the most hectic periods of the day. With miles of beaches, it can be easy to find a space to enjoy the sights and sounds of the sea, without fighting a crowd. Best of all, the beach does not cost admission.

In Sarasota, Florida start looking for Siesta Beach. This beach is the smallest on the list, at only a fraction of a mile and 500 feet wide, but it’s also one of the most beautiful and secluded. The sand is much softer compared to any you have experienced in your life; it’s so smooth it almost feels like walking on flour. The beach also has excellent swimming with minimal chance of overflow and a lifeguard on duty. It can occasionally get a bit crowded during the summer; However, you won’t find a better option during the off-season.

A better option for tourists looking for the ideal remote beach spot is Caladesi Island State Park in Dunedin, Florida. The beach cannot allow cars on site, which deters some tourists, and has a very secluded feel. It’s the perfect spot for bird watching, floating, and a chance to get away from the hectic life of other Florida beaches. The only method of getting to the beach is by ferry, and admission is $4 for each vehicle and $7 for each adult.

There are plenty of secluded Florida beaches for vacationers looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the state’s busy family-oriented spots.

The event of the division of the Indian subcontinent into two independent nations, Pakistan and India, is recorded as a period of great confusion and uncertainty. After the British Raj in India that prevailed for almost a century, British India was divided into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. It is during this bewildered period that a man from the city of Ambala in present-day India decided to emigrate to present-day Pakistan with his family. This man, the chairman of the Muslim League (the political party that led the movement for a separate Muslim nation in British India) in Ambala at the time, was called Khawaja Abdur Rehman. The migration process was extremely challenging and dangerous during that period, but it was successful for this family. Traveling inside a train, this particular group of nine to ten individuals was afraid of being attacked, which was “expected” during the hot days of this exodus, and hid the youngest under a train seat in case of disturbances. . This fifteen-year-old girl would later be my grandmother.

We are interested in understanding the importance of two types of stories, political or historian’s history and oral or popular history, and developing a connection between them. The history of the historian focuses predominantly on the political or national aspect of history. As a result, try to understand and record in detail the causes and effects of a particular event. Oral history, on the other hand, “is a field of study and a method for collecting, preserving, and interpreting the voices and memories of individuals, communities, and participants in past events” (Oral History Association). The first is at the state level and is usually objective, while the second is at the personal level and can be deeply subjective. During the process of studying partition, I caught glimpses of both approaches to history, but what intrigued me most was how Gyanendra Pandey, a historian specializing in colonial and post-colonial history and the author of “Remembering Partition,” has approached the subject of the score. . Focusing on the history of ordinary people, she has tried to understand the partition from different angles. In her style, I have witnessed a fine blending of both recorded history and people’s history, though most of the material leans toward the latter. The same approach allows the reader to understand different aspects of the same event.

Gyanendra Pandey has underlined the relationship between history and memory. More specifically, he has tried to establish a link between the history of the historian and oral history, and also to highlight the difference between them. The town’s history regarding the 1947 partition is considered to contain violence based on cultural, religious, and racial differences; it reveals the atmosphere of violence, rape, murder and uncertainty that prevailed at the time. In academic history, the brutality during partition is treated as parallel to massive political and democratic change. Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed, a Swedish political scientist and author, in his book “The Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed” indicates the distinguishing factor of oral history and the person who shares it: “He/she is not treated simply as a source or object of information, but as a subject that is intrinsic to the story it tells. Each of these stories is a living story to be read on its own merits” (Ahmed 139).

Gyanendra Pandey, after collecting and studying numerous oral histories, has distinguished two narratives that local people used to make sense of the partition violence; the certainty that the violence was justified at the time and the belief that it occurred “out there”, that is, outside their town or community. These narratives describe how personal interpretation of events can affect memory history. One can question the veracity and currency of memory history, but I believe that the purpose of oral history is to go beyond estimating the accuracy of the event and to understand the people themselves, who constitute “current” history. Oral histories give insight into individuals and families, which are the building blocks of any community or nation. Therefore, it becomes imperative to account for oral histories (what people remember) alongside recorded history by studying the 1947 sheet music.

Gyanendra Pandey has distinguished three partitions, each dealing with an aspect of the 1947 partition seen from a different perspective. The first partition refers to the claim of Pakistan by the Muslim League from 1940 onwards. By studying this concept, one learns the South Asian Muslim side of history. In the second partition, which refers to the division of the Punjab and Bengal provinces, one learns the Sikh and Hindu side of history. The third partition, however, is more humane in orientation, dealing with the massive upheaval and violence that took place on “both sides” during the partition.

It’s the third partition that surprises me, as it raises serious questions about the whole idea of ​​partitioning; who was right and who was wrong. Perhaps partitioning cannot be understood in binary terms at all; we cannot separate the heroes and the villains. The political perception of partition can vary from person to person, and each argument can be somewhat contentious. I believe that by studying the anthropological dimension of partition – or the history of the people – one can change or refine one’s political perception. Hence, the importance of oral histories is not just limited to understanding individuals and families at the time of the partition, but extends to shaping the entire perception of the 1947 partition in general. In the introduction to his book, Remembering Partition, Gyan Pandey writes: “Part of my purpose is to underscore how different the Partition story looks from different perspectives” (Pandey 5).

Going back to the story we started at the beginning of the article, a Sikh lived in Rawalpindi, located in present-day Pakistan, during the partition of 1947. The Sikh decided to emigrate to the opposite side of the border (present-day India) with his family, but before In doing so, he handed over his properties – a total of five to six houses – to the person who had recently immigrated to Pakistan from India with his family; Jawaja Abdur Rehman. It is difficult to explore the connection between these two individuals from two different nations and cultures, but this simple interaction helped the lives of many other families who had migrated to Pakistan from India, as Khawaja Abdur Rehman decided to give these properties to refugees in need. . Even during the period of great confusion and bloody unrest, some practical examples based on humanistic values ​​and interreligious compassion could be detected.

Works Cited

Ahmed, Ishtiaq. The Punjab bloodied, divided and cleansed. New Delhi: Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd., 2011. E-book.

Oral History Association. Oral History: Defined. second website. November 12, 2019.

Pandey, Gyanendra. Remembering Sheet Music. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Electronic book.

Every time our economy falters, we hear those four magic words: “Work harder, not smarter.” We find ourselves surrounded by catchy phrases like “productivity gains,” which can often be a euphemism for “We just fired the person in the cubicle next to yours, so now you’ll do her job just as well as yours.”

When times get tough, the tough once in a while want to intellectualize. You can think of yourself to get out of many problems in life, but you cannot think of how to get out of a hole. You have to grab the rope and start climbing. Falling into the “work smarter, not harder” trap is nothing more than an excuse for you to stop working and start daydreaming. Successful selling is never a matter of what you know. It’s a matter of what you do with what you know. While all living and breathing creatures must evolve, maybe the problem isn’t the fact that you need a new game plan. Maybe you have a great one and you just aren’t working hard enough on it.

This doesn’t mean that continuing education should be absent from your sales career…quite the contrary. You must learn something new every day. But you must learn while doing. Greatness has never been achieved strictly through the pursuit of knowledge. Greatness is achieved by learning and applying that knowledge, taking action and taking risks and falling and getting up and doing it all over again.

Professional selling is built on a foundation of several pillars that may vary in appearance, but are always consistent in principle.

First, you must love the art of selling. If you don’t, you’ll never be a successful marketer. He must adopt selling as his chosen profession and must have a deep and burning desire to excel. When you show up for a job you don’t like…maybe even a job you hate…you look at the clock, contribute only the bare minimum that will keep you employed, show up late, leave early, take long lunches, browse the Internet when your boss isn’t around, make personal phone calls, email your friends, and spend all Saturday and Sunday dreading Monday morning. That is not life. That is a prison sentence.

Second, you have to think like Elvis Presley and Take Care of Business…”TCB” Elvis distributed gold-plated “TCB” trinkets to members of his “Memphis Mafia” as a constant reminder of his personal manifesto. What is your manifest? Is it to arrive late and leave early, to take care of business, or somewhere in between? People must be able to trust that you will keep your word and deliver on everything you promise. You will occasionally encounter extreme and unpredictable circumstances that are not within your control, but most people will understand and appreciate your honesty and direct, immediate communication during these times. On the other hand, if you let something go to waste due to your apathy, laziness, or carelessness, you’ll start to erode any trust you’ve built between your clients, colleagues, or peers, and you’ll be on the fast track. to “unemployed”.

Third, you must believe in the product or service you are selling with an unshakable sense of faith. You must believe that while you may have competitors, you have a superior offering. You need to be able to back this up with customer testimonials and success stories, not just plain arrogance. If you don’t already have this belief, or can’t nurture it over time, you’re selling the wrong product or service. Go out now and find the right scenario for you.

Fourth, you must embrace the ancient wisdom of goal setting that dictates that you will strive for “this or better.” You can never control the end result. You can meet a potential customer and close the sale after one or two short conversations. You can also spend considerable time on proposals or inquiries, only to discover that the prospect is shopping around or just curious, with no means or motivation to buy in the near or distant future. Both scenarios are realities in the professional sales landscape. You must accept what is in your glass, be it fine wine or ashes, and realize that your path is forward. You have no time for self-pity, anger, hurt, or resentment. As you walk away from your failed sales call, struggling with your emotions, your prospect is buying a candy bar from the vending machine and thinking about 100 other things that don’t involve him. Celebrate successes and move on. Acknowledge the lesson of defeat and move on. Never stay still.

Fifth, always win the sale. The exact moment you earn the respect, admiration, and future referrals of your customers is the exact moment you give them everything they paid for, everything they expected…and you haven’t slowed down one bit. They got everything they promised and are still delivering. One aspect of sales that is true in any economy, strong or weak, is that the salesperson who consistently exceeds expectations is the same salesperson who will never charge an empty or diminished pipeline. He is as passionate about his clients’ success as his own.

Finally, follow the advice of a wise old friend of mine. When you face the lion and the lion has only one thought… to eat you… stand firm, stand tall and look the lion straight in the eye. Smile and say “I hope it tastes good.” Fear, weakness and doubt have no place in sales. Savings come and go. When he builds his motivation on favorable circumstances and a level playing field, he will reap nothing but low-hanging fruit. In a tight economy, that fruit has already been picked by your competition. You must resist, decide to fight and work harder.

The vast majority of limits in life are self-imposed. The concept of an “eight-hour workday” applies to companies that must pay overtime for anything over eight hours. If you are a professional seller…especially if you are a sole proprietor or entrepreneur…there is no time clock. There are no weekends.

There is only life. Life is what is happening to you right now, while you are reading this article.

There is your work, your passion, your trade, your success. Don’t work smarter. Hard work. You already know what to do and how to do it. You’re just not doing enough. Make a decision right now to change that behavior. You can do it, and you will see immediate results.

Welcome to Nigeria, a multicultural country in Africa

Hakeem Olajuwon

Did you know- Nigerian-born Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon is the “second best player in the world,” in the words of former US Men’s National Team coach George Karl. Like Sade (singer) and Wole Soyinka (1986 Nobel Laureate), Olajuwon is an idol in Nigeria. He once said, “I don’t like it when TV only shows the bad things and then says, ‘This Lagos’ (the old capital of Nigeria). There are bad things, sure, but in Lagos we have designer clothes, big buildings, videos . , and a lot of other things that people enjoy in America. TV doesn’t show that, and I get tired of trying to explain it.”

Geography

did you know– The modern country of Nigeria, once the seat of an ancient kingdom, is located on the southern coast of West Africa. This former British colony is bordered by Benin (known as Dahomey until 1972) to the west, Niger (former French colony) to the north, Chad (former French colony) and Cameroon (former French and British territory) to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. . It is an African country of considerable contrasts: it is home to mangroves, plateaus, semi-deserts and tropical forests. Abuja is the capital of Nigeria, but Lagos, the former capital, is the largest city.

independence

Did you know- On October 1, 1960, Nigeria, after a 102-year European occupation, became an independent country within the British Commonwealth.

Nigerian and United States

Did you know- Abuja and Washington have maintained excellent diplomatic ties. In this context, US leader Jimmy Carter visited the African country in 1978. Later, on August 24, 2000, Lagos received a visit from Bill Clinton.

Population

Did you know- The English-speaking country is the tenth largest country in population in the world, with 154 million people. About 50 percent of the population is Muslim. At least 1.5 million Nigerians live abroad, 70% of them in Western Europe

Democracy

Did you know- The 38 years of military rule ended in 1998 when Olusegun Obasanjo won the country’s first free elections. In the years that followed, Nigeria, an oil-rich country, became a democratic state.

United Nations

Did you know- After independence, on October 7, 1960, the country joined the United Nations. After 1960, he was one of the leaders against apartheid on Earth.

International Awards

Did you know- In late 1986, Wole Soyinka became the first black author to win a Nobel Prize for Africa. In fact, Mr. Soyinka was one of the best-known novelists in sub-Saharan Africa in the second half of the last century. In addition to his career as a novelist, he was a leading advocate for democracy and human rights on the African continent in the 1970s and 1980s.

Football

Did you know- The 1999 FIFA U-20 World Cup was held in Nigeria, an event that was the envy of the rest of the world. In fact, this is the biggest football tournament held in Nigeria.

Tourism

Did you know- From a cultural perspective, Nigeria is a remarkable place with more than 100 ethnic groups. Apart from that, the English-speaking country is interesting in terms of its biodiversity: there are many national parks and wildlife sanctuaries; lions, elephants, wild birds and reptiles populated these national parks. In addition, its capital, Abuja, is one of the most modern cities in sub-Saharan Africa. Music is also one of the main activities of the nation, birthplace of Sade, one of the most successful singers in the world. Finally, it also has spectacular architectural sites: the sacred grove of Osun-Sogbo, a World Heritage Site, is one of the most visited scenic spots in Nigeria.

famous visitors

Did you know- In the early 1980s, Pope John Paul II visited Nigeria.

When did you last go on tour? Now I haven’t traveled in a long time, but let me tell you about the last time I traveled. So I had just graduated, right? My dad thought, “Oh, you’ve done great, little one. You deserve your braces and a treat.” How could he say no to that? Who would say no anyway?

I remember clearly, it was a Friday at the end of July. She had gone shopping the day before, so she was well stocked with clothes and accessories. Oh! I was ready to shine, I was ready for everyone to know my “Ideniny”. First of all, I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep for days. Friday came and I was so tired that I slept most of the day and almost missed my flight.

That would have been tragic!

Fast forward to get to England. So we decided to tour England a bit. We went from Liverpool to London to Manchester to Brighton to Leicester and many more cities. People were on a roll. Go out to dinner, take bus tours, visit Madame Tussauds, the London Eye and many tourist attractions.

We went from hotel to hotel; Ultimately, we were traveling nomads at that point in mind. I can’t say I wasn’t sad when I had to leave and go home. Of course, I knew there would be other opportunities to travel again, but I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to go home. I wanted to stay there forever. In fact, I begged my parents to let me stay behind, but they said “NO” and that was it.

You don’t want to argue with your parents, especially if they are Yoruba. Look, my mom is a sensible woman. Yes means Yes and No means No. You cross the line, they review you directly.

You’re probably wondering “Isn’t he going to tell us all the places he went?”. Well, I could talk about visiting Madame Tussauds and seeing all those life-size wax figures. He was completely fascinated. They looked so realistic. It was weird; almost disturbing if I’m being totally honest.

I could also talk about visiting Warner Bros. Studio. Look, let me tell you that this particular adventure really was an adventure that I would love to repeat at any time. All day every day. Call me a kid, but seeing the studio where some of my favorite movies came to life made me dizzy. Dizzy even. Guy!!!! Harry Potter was born in that study. All 8 movies. How could I not be excited? *laughs childishly*

Now, if you want the best tour of London, hop on the Big Bus Hop on Hop off tour. The best thing is that you believe that you will see almost everything you need to see. You would be on a double decker bus so you can sit on the lower deck or open deck, it really depends on the weather. The weather in London can be quite “bipolar” if I do say so myself. But what tickles you. Popular spots on this tour include the London Eye, Kensington Gardens, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the Tower of London.

Book plane tickets to London with Travelden https://travelden.com

Yes, you can get off the bus to properly see these landmarks. I bet you were wondering “Will I be watching?”. No, you can explore. Sha ‘no’ miss you.

As much as I’d love to go over my experiences one by one, you’d probably tire of it. Instead, why not tour England yourself? So you can also write your own experiences. Did you already do that? How about traveling to other countries? What is the country of your dreams? It’s not too late to start planning and saving, and more importantly, it will be worth it in the end.

Heritage Hotels of India are those properties that were previously forts, palaces, mansions of the ancient rulers and royal families of India. They were built by the nobility or royalty and served as a residence. These houses, since time immemorial, have been renowned for their impeccable royal hospitality. After India gained independence, with the abolition of taxed funds to cover the expenses incurred by the royal ruler or the nobles, maintaining such colossal estates became a difficult task. For a considerable period of time, several of these properties were forgotten. When the importance of defending their pride and heritage was felt, the concept of heritage hotels emerged. Although most hotels today are operated by royal relatives themselves, others have been managed by major hotel chains on a lease basis.

These heritage hotels in India still retain these palatial homes so that they do not lose their grandeur and splendor of ancient times. The elegant touch has been kept intact through traditional decorative elements and original art, charming hospitality, histological artifacts and some exhilarating experiences.

As these Indian heritage hotels were the symbols of royalty and wealth, the grandeur of the architecture is maintained with ornate balconies, spacious courtyards, large rooms, majestic suites, loyal servants, exceptionally sumptuous delicacies, etc. Warm traditional hospitality has always been the highlight for centuries, and the country’s heritage hotels adhere to rich cultural norms and traditions.

There is an upward trend in the number of people looking for an experience that a normal hotel does not offer. Heritage is a completely leisure segment, with high-end products. With rising income levels, people aren’t afraid to spend a little more for a superior stay experience.

The Heritage Hotel experience is no longer limited to simply staying in the palaces of once powerful royalty; Havelis and bungalows also have their own piece of history, perhaps even more, which romanticizes history, creating a wide selection of properties and budgets, not to mention experiences. Generally, people travel to see these places to experience the uniqueness of the environment, and heritage hotels focus more on the experience they offer on different levels. Therefore, the transformation of historic heritage homes into super-luxury hotels, for the most part, is about striking the right line between commercial demands and conservation.

Are you looking for Heritage hotels in Mahabalipuram, Swamimalai and Yercaud in Tamilnadu? Look no further than Indeco Hotels & Resorts, run by renowned hotelier Steve Borgia.

Puerto Rico is an island of many faces and offers much in the way of entertainment and attractions that will entice a tourist to visit. Adventure, romance, and nightlife can all be found here, depending on where you’re going and what you want to do. You can combine all three or just take them one at a time, but whatever you do, you’re sure to have an enjoyable time in Puerto Rico.

If you have come to Puerto Rico looking for adventure, you can experience it in many ways. Scuba diving and snorkeling can be done at a variety of locations throughout the island, but the best diving from shore can be found at Playa Crash Boat, Playa Cerro Gordo in Dorado, or La Pocita at Playa Escambrón, which is just minutes from St. John hotels. Porta del Sol is on the western side of the island and offers impressive dives to depths of 50 to 100 feet for experienced divers.

Other adventures include rock climbing, caving in local caves, hiking or camping in the mountains or rainforest, or kayaking down the rapids. You can enjoy tours of these places or go out on your own to explore all the diversity that Puerto Rico has to offer.

For those seeking romance, it can be found on the beautiful sandy beaches that line its shores. The San Juan Condado region has some of the best luxury resorts in the Caribbean that can create all the magic you are looking for. Other more secluded areas offer boutique resorts that can deliver not only romance, but also spas that will make you think you’re in paradise. You can indulge in relaxation and meditation or combine physical activity with relaxing routines that lead to romance.

Nightlife in Puerto Rico, especially in San Juan, is considered one of the best in the world with casinos for gambling lovers and nightclubs with the best of Latin American music to dance the night away. You can combine this with playing golf or visiting an art gallery during the day and dining at the many restaurants that provide that special combination of Puerto Rican dishes along with other cosmopolitan favorites.

Puerto Rico is a destination that can satisfy all your needs and show you endless attractions to entertain you or allow you the luxury of spending hours in the sun or surfing. It will be what you want it to be.

Hindsight is often described as 20/20, while foresight is at best a dim picture of the future. Before watching the movie “Aid” but after reading the reviews for this movie, I was struck by the parallels of the characters in the movies and my own mother’s experiences.

My mother’s experiences are seen through the eyes of a five year old to her early twenties and reflect my observations now as an experienced adult.

Aid

my mother was “Aid”, a domestic worker who did the day job so I can speak with authority and credibility. Though she didn’t have to wear the trappings, a starched uniform, of a maid; her busyness and that of countless other women was evident in the faces and expressions of the women who left for work very early in the morning and returned home late at night tired.

Some of you aren’t old enough or just have the footage from the movies to put this in context, but as the oldest son, I remember that the servants were paid eight dollars a day plus passage. This day’s wages symbolically represented and demonstrated the courage, sacrifice, love, and quiet dignity required to keep a family together.

Eight dollars a day plus car fare added up to the total salary paid to housecleaning maids in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it’s the amount of money I remember my mother making. Surprisingly, this was not the starting wage, in fact the starting wage was $5.00 per day plus travel during the 1950s through the early 1960s. This daily wage was pay to clean suburban homes in Mt. Lebanon, Sewickley, North Hills and other similar communities. This daily wage also included the responsibility of assisting and I use this word loosely with the “rearing” or raising of the young children in those homes, as well as doing the laundry and any other assigned chores.

Love

Although my mother may have been away from our home eight to ten hours a day, I never felt alone or abandoned. She had to spend most of her waking hours with the children in the houses she cleaned simply because she couldn’t be in two places at the same time. Maybe she was too young to feel anger or resentment, but I always felt loved and whole as an important part of our family. Those children don’t know how hurt they were to have my mother as part of their lives. Knowing mom, she helped shape and establish values ​​that they did not know but have brought to their lives.

Unlike today, this day’s salary did not come with a defined benefits package; without medical, disability, life or pension insurance. Nevertheless; this day’s salary came with public transportation because few of us had cars and public transportation was the main mode of transportation. If you got sick, you weren’t paid (unless you had a kind employer), if you were injured or wanted to attend a school activity for your child, you weren’t paid, which probably explains why parents were absent from important events in those days. days. However, despite her absence, Mom, I would commend your contributions or achievements because her love knew no boundaries. Mom’s love and spiritual presence continues to grow stronger even today.

Courage

Pittsburgh was a heavy industrial city known as the Steel City in its heyday and my mother was strong as the steel that came out of the hot furnaces of J&L on the south side of Pittsburgh. Steel mills, when steel was a major industry in the United States, worked three shifts 24 hours a day, employing thousands of men, and the red glow of the furnaces could be seen lighting up the sky at night. My mother’s sense of purpose and resolve was her strength because she knew she had to make it happen that day. We live our life day by day! I couldn’t be sick or hurt, you had to get over the pain. You can’t plan much beyond the next day because you get paid day by day and the next day wasn’t guaranteed.

Pittsburgh was a diverse community that on the surface didn’t seem to show racial animosity or discrimination, but if you peeled back the layers of society, the racial discrimination was there. It was disguised and evidenced by the neighborhoods where one could live. The discrimination was disguised by the types of employment available to people during this era. Typical jobs were preaching, teaching, working at the post office, or collecting garbage. A few were able to join the police force but ironically I never met or saw anyone who worked for the public transport system, particularly as a tram driver.

The fare to ride the streetcar costs about twenty-five cents ($0.25) for a one-way fare that may or may not have taken you somewhere near the house you had to clean that day. So can you imagine that on top of the $8.00 a day you also got an extra $0.50 for the hassle of walking many blocks or several miles for the privilege of cleaning someone else’s house? More importantly, you walked through the heat of summer, through the storms and cold snows of winter with your head bowed praying for the strength to get through another day.

Before going to work early in the morning, he made sure we were awake and left breakfast on the stove for us to eat. As I remember him, hot oatmeal was always left in a bain-marie for breakfast. Lunch, because we got home at noon, consisted of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich topped off with a can of tomato soup that I heated up. I ate this lunch so often that it was several decades before I was back to eating peanut butter, jelly, and tomato soup. Today it has become a comfort food, a resting place for my warm memories.

When mom came home at night, she always had time to smile and chat while she cooked a hot meal for our dinner and only scolded us when we made her nervous. She continued to work around the house at night with other household chores until it was time to rest. In retrospect, her day never seemed to end, rivaling J & L Steel’s manufacturing schedule.

I have moments of reflection as I drive to work and see the black and brown faces getting off the bus in the suburbs or walking down the sidewalk to work. In my mind I can see my mother on her way to work or at the end of a long day at work late at night standing proudly and waiting for the trolley to take her home. Not many years ago, my mother was doing the same thing trying to support her family and these thoughts stir deep emotions inside that could rock a battleship at sea.

Sacrifice

Eight dollars a day plus fare is a true story of a family that, despite economic circumstances, overcame the reflux based on sacrifice, love and quiet dignity. I can’t begin to describe the sacrifice and love without getting emotional. After I graduated from high school and went to college, Mom would, without fail, send me a $5.00 letter once a week with words of encouragement. This was not just for freshman year, but she sent $5.00 a week for four years while I was in college. That $5.00 was a full day’s work for her that she voluntarily sent even though my younger brother and sister were home. Mom never complained, but she shared her love and encouragement through her strong sense of purpose in earning a degree and becoming someone.

This is just one of the many tangible and intangible sacrifices he made during my life that has served to keep me humble and aware of my responsibility to help someone.

quiet dignity

It may not have been easy to endure the indignities of 30 years of housecleaning, but she endured it with a quiet dignity and grace that I find remarkable and have tried to emulate. We never had everything we wanted, but we had everything we needed from a parenting and spiritual perspective. She couldn’t buy new clothes for herself, but we always had what we needed to go back to school in the fall; new jeans, shoes and a winter coat.

Mom always walked fast and when I was a little girl, when we would go shopping in downtown Pittsburgh, she would walk so fast that I almost had to run to keep up with her. Even walking fast, she kept her head high and talked to everyone as she passed as if she were a major celebrity. I guess in her own way she was a celebrity, but only those close to her knew of her celebrity.

The aid salary of eight dollars a day plus transportation is more than a story to me, it is a life lesson that I have embraced and cherished. It has sustained me through some of my most difficult times and has helped me chart a life course based on sacrifice, love, and quiet dignity. I hope that you will adopt these same concepts and “Aid” in you will share your symbolic eight dollars a day and your ticket with someone you know with love, quiet dignity and grace.

Public golf courses in the state of Oregon provide the opportunity to experience some of the most beautiful scenery in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon golfers can play overlooking the Pacific Ocean or surrounded by snow-capped mountains. They can play on fairways shaded by dense woods or within sight of a clear mountain stream, sink a putt in high mountain wilderness or next to a wetland frequented by migratory waterfowl. It is a glorious place to play.

And those are just some of the landscapes that you can enjoy while playing in Beaver State. Oregon has 144 golf courses open to the general public; some places have more than one field. Play at the right time and you might also see deer, moose, coyotes, or other wildlife in the fairways.

Most courses in Oregon are built around the natural hazards and obstacles of the land; some play around rolling hills, thick forests, natural sand, ancient lava fields, water hazards, canyons, or ravines. Many of the best golf designers have built courses in this state.

Along the Oregon coast, you’ll find a golf course said to rival Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, one with a green located 100 yards from the ocean’s edge, another with a reputation for being one of the tough in the US, plus lots of the fun of golf in the fresh ocean air.

Portland golfers will find nearly three dozen golf courses within a 30-minute drive of downtown, and heading south on I-5 can play some of the toughest holes in the state. Blue River, Eagle Creek, and Eugene have golf courses with holes ranked among the states’ toughest.

Golf courses, along with 300 days of sunshine, make Central Oregon a golfer’s paradise; Several new courses have been added in recent years. Lava outcroppings and snow-capped mountain ranges add a sense of drama found nowhere else in the state.

Eastern Oregon courses offer sagebrush and rough, wooded terrain, natural canyons and ravines, streams and rivers, and high desert altitudes that will test your endurance.

Green fees at Oregon golf courses range from $3 to $225, but many of the more expensive courses offer discounts that allow golfers to play up to 2/3 of the regular fees.

An avid golfer, someone who plays 45 to 50 weekends a year, could play all of Oregon’s 144 golf courses in just a couple of years. And, with the variety of terrains offered, it’s sure to improve any golfer’s game.