Today I went to the Timber Festival in Estacada. The Timber Festival is a celebration of our lumberjack culture. At the festival, contestants compete in how fast they can saw with a chainsaw or a buck saw. They also compete in staying steady on a log on water. It was very interesting and reminded me of the early beginnings of our state. Last year I taught American history in school. It was very interesting for me who wasn't born in the United States, to study more deeply about the primeval notions that make this country what it is today, to study the origins of our political system and of its international policies. I very much liked delving into the Constitutional Convention. It was enlightening also, to understand the Monroe and Truman doctrines. I have travelled in many countries and one thing I appreciate the most about America is the parks. Parks are usually clean and respected by all. Even today, I was impressed as I walked out of timber festival park where the festival was held. Hundreds of people had come with their families, but the area was left clean with hardly any trash on the ground. This is something special to America I would say. It is also a testament to progress in civism, as even in America it wasn't always like that. I am sure our parents can remember a time when people left their trash on the lawn after they had a picnic. America has grown to be a country of law and order, a place with a vision of civility and progress where many people came, and still come, in order to escape poverty and to look for greater freedom opportunities. This progress in civism and law and order has come at heavy costs and is a privilege for those who live here. In the history book that I used to teach my students, there is a quote that reminds of our responsibility for these privileges . It says, "A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both." Dwight D. Eisenhower.
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