Diplo-tales: Dupont Circle Roundabout - Merry-go-round from Hell

After three years driving the same roads every week you would know your way around, correct? Well, I don't.

Like I need any more “idiot me” moments, right? However, in my defence, I'm referring to a particularly nasty piece of road (hehe) known as Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. Anyone who has ever driven in it would probably understand where my confusion and distress comes from.

Whoever decided that a roundabout with ten—read that, ten!—exits was a good idea should be back in school, relearning how to design roads, hahaha. There are also two segregated lanes in the roundabout, just in case you decide you don't feel like getting off the Merry-Go-Round for a while and instead want to kick back, relax, and listen to the music.

If that weren’t confusing or challenging enough already, the centre of the roundabout has a nice little park with trees and a fountain. It is also full of people and has got a number of crosswalks. So while navigating the maze that is Dupont Circle you must be on the lookout for pedestrians as well as your intended exit of that roundabout. I get this sense that in their eyes are looks of mirth, as if they know I've travelled this road every week and still have to call my husband for directions because even my GPS is befuddled by Dupont Circle. At least I'm not the only one.

The thing is, I work at the Philippine Embassy, WDC. As if I’m not already late enough, this is a job of responsibility and I can't even navigate the roads outside the Embassy. There’s this one time I saw Resty, a colleague of mine, and then I realized "Oh, God! This is already near the Ambassador’s residence." A second closer look at the surroundings confirmed my belated realization, this was the other side  of the diplomatic enclave called Embassy Row. Our Embassy was in the opposite direction across Dupont Circle. I was supposed to exit Dupont Circle towards the South but ended up going North, the merry-go-round had got me disorientated again. Needless to say, I don't tell my colleagues about my fights with Dupont Circle. I'd never hear the end of it. The forthcoming jokes would have been relentless.

My husband offers a chuckle every time I call him. Those chuckles were sounding a bit forced after a while, but there's nothing I can do. When my mechanical GPS fails me I must turn to my human GPS. He's gotten used to it, and he would say the same thing every time. I think he had the directions written down, a little sticky note in his wallet. It's a good thing he’s a Consul. He's used to communicating with people, being patient as he tries to reach a consensus on difficult issues. In this case, garnering his wife safe passage to work.

While I'm driving in circles trying to figure out the right exit again or how to get back to the proper lane within the roundabout, peering at the roads that all look the same with their asphalt and sides of buildings and trees and cars my fingers hit the GPS speed-dial. My husband had learned to anticipate my calls in that he always picks up on the first ring and automatically asks which building I'm near at to serve as a reference.  I describe it and he tells me the next time I pass it to go so many exits more and take that one. I haven't the faintest idea how he knows which exit I should be taking by my less-than-impressive building descriptions. I have a hard enough time recognizing the building for my next loop around the Merry-Go-Round.

My human GPS though, he has the perfect photographic memory and I always make my way to 1600 Massachusetts Avenue just in time to walk through the brown double doors seconds before I'm due.

I don't know how Washington D.C. locals do it. Dupont Circle isn't the only roundabout in Washington D.C. It is the worst though. I guess once you've conquered the worst of roundabouts the others are like mere pebbles on a pathway. 2011 Moira G Gallaga ©

House Bill Number 4244 (Reproductive Health Bill)

House Bill no. 4244

needs to be passed.

‘Bloated population’ control?

No. Rights of women, child and soul,

Well being, health and fertile growth

enough space for each potential

to bloom and grow.

It’s like a sustainable field you see

a garden where every person

wanted or not wanted

plays a role but woe

so many seeds have sprouted

filling all the space, smothering some

denying air to breath and rightful spot in the sun.

This field, this garden,

needs more than one gardener

to tend the weeds of poverty and ignorance.

Responsibility?

Not the state alone

but all of us

to use our skills and willingness

for better wellness of every Life.

Skilled gardeners:

Let’s grow from informed choice

within the fence of family planning services

let’s decrease the uprooting

of unwanted seedlings through abortion

remove the pests of STD’s

educate our apprentices

our future gardeners

to create healthy stalks of Life.

Yes, it is the woman’s body

that bears the choice,

but let’s make sure

that we hear her voice.

2011 Moira G. Gallaga©

  

Diplo-Parenting Tips: You Cannot Spoil a Child through Love

All parents are concerned about spoiling their children, but you can't spoil a child through love. Love is imperative so that a child knows they are wanted. Too much love is in fact impossible. A child needs adults to play with, to teach them, and to offer protection.

A parent's responsibility is to give a child love, a secure environment and encouragement. A child will not succeed at everything they attempt. Listen to their problems, and try to understand what they are going through. Talk openly with them when they have setbacks and disappointments. Children have to learn how to handle failure and frustration.

If you bungle raising your children,
I don't think whatever else you do well matters very much. - Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

However, always keep in mind that showing love to your children isn't the same as letting them do, or giving them what they want. It is important to set limits with your children.  Setting limits is actually very important, because it gives your child a sense of safety and security. Parents might at first be afraid to establish rules, because they risk upsetting their kids. But without rules to follow, kids do not have any guidance. They feel lost. Rules that go unenforced are almost as bad. The proper response to a broken rule is one that explains the rule, along with an appropriate punishment. Children need to know consequences for their actions. All children are not the same. Your approach may have to differ depending on how the child reacts to a rule. One teenager who comes home too late may be convinced that what he did was wrong because you stayed up late worrying about him. Another might not get the message until his curfew is severely reduced. What matters is setting definite boundaries, and giving good reasons for them.

Children should never be afraid to tell you anything. Treat them with love and respect, and they will do the same. Raising children is difficult, but also one of the most rewarding experiences you can ever have. Love your kids, and give them a safe home full of reasonable rules and expectations. It will set them on a path to turn into a good adult.

2011 Moira G Gallaga©