On The Couch With Fausta

If there was to be a screenplay written about Fausta, of Bad Hair Blog, it might be titled, 'Not Lost In Translation.'

Fausta sees the world in stereo- through a filter of very mainstream and not so mainstream sensibilities. For many, that might mean a distracting hurricane of thoughts and ideas. For Fausta, the confluence of those disparate thoughts are clarifying.

Fausta presents thoughts and ideas that are well organized and substantive- but they are not forced on her readers. Her blog is restrained enough as to allow the reader to be a participant in her thought process. With her, the reader examines the facts, ponders the nuances and considers the possibilities.

Bad Hair Blog is different- not because it is so different, but rather, because as with any good recipe, it looks deceptively simple, but in fact, it is hard to duplicate. Fausta has the touch- she understands her realities and the realities of the world around her. She knows what goes into the mix and in what proportions. Most all, she has a particular vision that allows her to understand exactly what it is she seeing- and that might be her biggest asset of all. In an environment where information comes through the information pipeline with letting up, Fausta helps to make sense of it.

No one walks away from Bad Hair Blog sated. You walk away wanting more- and that suits Fausta just fine.

You live and go to school in Princeton. You are a 'non traditional student.' What does that mean and how does that effect your education?

I am a non-traditional student, but probably not in the way you expect. I audit one class and attend lectures open to the public at Princeton University, but I’m not a PU student. In fact, I’m old enough to be a parent of a student. What I am is a person intent on continuing to learn about a variety of subjects, especially literature.

As great literature is often lost on the young, I’m fortunate to have developed this interest now rather than a couple of decades ago.

I majored in economics and marketing, and, while all my adult life I have read an average of a book per week, it was only in the last 9 years or so that I have started to formally study literature at depth by auditing classes and reading writers’ commentary on literature. The experience that triggered this interest was that 10 years ago I wrote Mario Vargas Llosa asking if I could listen to his lectures at Princeton University. MVLl is truly one of the great writers in Spanish of all time and by now I’ve read most of his work; listening to him discuss other writers was a revelation. It was like lighting a halogen lamp in a candlelit room.

Also in a non-traditional sense, I have no desire to pursue this as a career path. My only goals are improving my own writing, and enhancing my enjoyment of literature.

You clearly participate in PU's lecture and other extracurricular educational offerings. How important is that to you?

It is important both for personal growth reasons, and for blogging material. I take notes during lectures, and if it’s an interesting lecture, I post on it

It also is a nice extra to be able to do this, since Princeton is a very expensive place to live.

You are part of a 'minority.' Has that helped or hindered your education?

Since I grew up in Puerto Rico as part of a middle-class educated household, I never developed during my early life a sense of being in a "minority". I did very well in school and in my SAT’s, and transferred to a university in the continental US by invitation. Once there, I was made to feel welcome by the other students. I went from taking all my classes in Spanish (except for one), to taking all my classes in English, and it was hard work. In my career path I’ve worked hard and been open to new opportunities. Mine has been a rather average, middle-class life. In fact, my experience has been that the middle classes across all countries and cultures tend to share common values and experiences.

What helped my education the most was that my entire extended family, both paternal and maternal, were absolutely focused on education, particularly their children's education, so I have an uncle that was a district judge, a cousin who at the time was the youngest man to graduate from Johns Hopkins Medical School, and among other cousins two other MDs, several lawyers, engineers and university professors, and so on.

Do your experiences and cultural background bring otherwise ignored sensibilties into play, and if so, how?

Of course. A particular instance that comes to mind was when I went to see the Spanish movie, Belle Epoque, a forgettable movie featuring the young Penelope Cruz, with a friend from NJ. My friend thought it was a nice enough comedy. All I kept thinking about was that my mother’s father (who was from Spain) swore never to return to Spain after his town, which back then probably was a lot like the town in the movie, was decimated by Franco in the Spanish Civil War.

Is it easy or difficult to find intelligent conversation?

Very easy. I’ve been very lucky that way. Plus, readers tend to find each other, another good reason to read literature.

My husband is an intelligent conversationalist, too, aside from being a great guy.

You discuss Europe, Central and South America on your blog. why?

They are fascinating subjects.

Many of the issues now taking place in those regions have long-term repercussions. For instance, in the midst of the rioting in France, Sarkozy, the interior minister who wants to be the next president, is proposing giving immigrants a vote in city elections even if they are not full citizens, and allowing the state to fund city mosques, which goes against France’s centuries-old policy on the separation of church and state. France carries a lot of influence in the European Union, and that’s also interesting to me. What France decides on these issues might carry over to the EU later on.

In Latin America, the most influential country now is Venezuela, because of the way Chavez is using oil money to export his Bolivarian Revolution. He’s abolishing property rights. Since I see property rights as a cornerstone of human rights and democracy, I’m interested in seeing how the situation develops.

Since NJ cable TV stations play the French and Spanish language news broadcasts, and I read French and Spanish language newspapers online, blogging about it comes natural.

How many languages do you speak? How important is knowing another language?

I’m fully bilingual in English and Spanish.

I read French, but have a terrible Spanish accent so I politely refrain from speaking it, even when I understand most spoken French. I can read Portuguese with difficulty and a great deal of patience.

A couple of years ago I audited a class on Middle English and am now reading all of Chaucer in the original Middle English. Like my French, my Middle English is so bad I dare not speak it. Learning another language is vital if one is to know how a culture thinks. For example, learning how Middle English evolved into Modern English is learning how a culture changed from Medieval feudalism to Elizabethan discovery.

How does art impact your life?

In literature, greatly, of course. In the visual arts, also very much since I’m a visual thinker. One of the great gifts from having the internet is that one can see masterpieces of El Prado, the Louvre and an infinite number of great artworks without leaving your desk, while you’re in the middle of your daily work schedule.

I also love listening to music, particularly Baroque music. However, I listen to that kind of music attentively, so I have to make time to listen to it. Can’t listen to it while driving or working! Last year I posted about improving my piano technique so I could play Baroque music, but I play only at home, by myself.

How did 9/11 change you, if at all?

9/11 pulled the rug out from under my feet. It was a huge emotional blow.

I had commuted to NYC for 7 years and every work day I went trough the WTC. I loved the WTC, with the many activities and concerts they held at the plaza in warm weather, the shops, the views. When company or business associates from out of town came to visit, we’d take them to the Windows on the World.

The second attack on the WTC (most people forget the first one in 1993) brought the realization that we are in a struggle for what we value: our culture, our civilization.

How do you define feminism? Are you a feminist?

I’m definitely a feminist. A feminist that follows The Manolo’s fashion advice, at that.

Feminism is valuing the worth of women, and valuing their work, be it paid or unpaid.

It is a pity that the women’s rights movement can not seem to value the work women do that receives no monetary compensation, and the worth of men’s lives to women’s.

Who do you miss, most of all? Why?

I miss friends who have died, for the friendships I valued, which makes me value even more the friends I have.