Word: hostings
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...host families huddled in a group inside the station, each visibly eager to greet the American to whom they had voluntarily offered room and board (read: a cot and waffles) for the month, free of charge. Other than their height—one woman towered above me at a jaw-dropping 6’1”—what struck me about the families was what they represented, or failed to represent. Collectively, they showcased nearly every social variation possible, from age to sexual orientation. My own host family included a self-professed socialist lawyer and a pregnant...
...course, this didn’t bother me in the least. But it might help explain why the first exchange with one of the host “mothers” went something like this...
Lately, the pace of transformation has been picking up, and the World Cup is one of the reasons. In 2004, South Africa won the contest to host the 2010 soccer championships, ushering in a $10 billion national infrastructure upgrade. In Joburg, that includes an underground train linking the city to a new airport, roads, a rapid bus system and two rehabbed stadiums. Most of the improvements were already planned, but as Williamson says, the Cup meant "a five-year plan became a two-year...
...aloof nodding has led me into similar situations thus far. I spent the weekend at a rustic pottery village, when I thought my family was merely taking me out to lunch. I thought I was going out for a customary, jovial carrete with my host brother, but realized I had misunderstood the night’s plans when someone started shaving his leg. He returned home with a (real) homemade calf tattoo, inked on a friend’s twin...
What it does export is invariably shrouded in mystery. Pyongyang exists frozen outside the global economy and raises funds through a host of backdoor activities, including the manufacture of counterfeit money and dissemination of its military secrets and technological capabilities to a whole network of dubious customers. As a consequence of Pyongyang's recent bellicose behavior, a new U.N. resolution passed this June forbids the country from exporting arms and authorizes member states to search North Korean vessels suspected to be carrying them, though they must first seek Pyongyang's legal consent - effectively, a non-starter. Nevertheless, the U.S.S. John...