Modern Family

One of my favorite shows lately is Modern Family. It's about, as the name suggests, the modern family types. One family is the traditional mom, dad, three kids. The other is an older guy who marries a gorgeous Latina woman half his age who already has an 11-year-old son who acts like he's 35. Then, there's the (male) gay couple who adopt a baby from Vietnam. The connection between all three families is that the older guy who the hot Latina wife is the dad to one of the gay men and to the mom in the traditional family setup. It is such a funny show. And it's unique, not just in what goes on, but the basic structure of the families. Gay couples are not often portrayed on non-cable, prime time TV. One thing that strikes me as particularly funny is that perhaps the oddest character on the show is the father in the traditional family. Clearly, he was a nerdy kid growing up and though his looks may have changed for the better, he is still very much a nerd on the inside. Each character is fairly quirky. I appreciate that the idea for the show is new and fresh.

Another show I like is Shark Tank. The Office is still good, though I think as a whole this season hasn't been as funny as previous ones. I've heard this may have something to do with the whole writers' strike but I have no idea.

I can't believe the show Survivor is still on. I remember the first season. I used to watch it but after the second season, I became disinterested. It seems like a show that has long outlived its life expectancy, but I guess there are enough that still like it to keep it playing. What is it, in its fifth season now?

Getting away from TV shows, I am enjoying teaching English to Somali-Bantu refugees. But sometimes it seems so hopeless. They have seven years from the time they are relocated to the US to learn English and pass the citizenship exam. I think perhaps there should be length extensions for preliterate groups that come here, as the Bantus are. They are starting from a preschool level, learning their ABC's. Some of them can kinda read but I'm not sure if they know the letter sounds or if they merely memorize the words. In my linguistics class the prof talked about how preliterate groups have an amazing memory capacity because they have no other choice than to memorize everything. The part of their brain in control of memory is much more developed than literate people. Thus, I think that they are memorizing words instead of letter sounds. Not that it matters too much. But they MUST pass the citizenship exam or else lose their public housing and all their benefits. I do have one student who is young and her seven year term is ending in May. I have no doubt that she will pass.