Goodbye blogspot

I'm moving to wordpress! Find me at yazzercise.wordpress.com. My musings, haikus and rants will continue on (what I found to be) a more innovative and user friendly system.
So long, blog spot! it's been a great 2 years.

Begin again

Being back, seeing the freshmen's brand new faces, seeing the green quad and new Val and beautiful New England night skies is absolutely amazing. Everything feels familiar now (despite the drastic changes to our dining hall). I no longer wear my lanyard on my neck, I don't need to write down my mail combination, and I know where my classes will be this semester. With a year of college under my belt (1 year! 1/4 of my time here is over! What!) I feel much more prepared to take on this year.
My new dorm will take getting used to, it's the Spanish and French house and there are some TAs from both countries. I have to get over my language fear of messing up and just talk, but after being in frikkin' China for 2 months my French skills have diminished drastically (although everytime I couldn't think of a Chinese word, the French word would pop in my head. Language works in funny ways).
I got a letter from myself today from last year's FOOT (First-year Outdoor Orientation Trip) and I was kinda disappointed by it's boring qualities. It was written on my leg in a campsite in bad handwriting, and it just said "I hope you become friends with the other FOOties...I hope you enjoyed all your classes...Be nerdy and don't spend all your money...I hope you aren't making stupid decisions."
I thought that was funny, because I did make stupid decisions. I made lots of them. Note, nothing ridiculously unintelligent, just the regular freshman awkward decision making. If I hadn't made these awkward, bad, stupid decisions, I would have learned nothing from this past year. Sometimes you have to mess up to learn more about yourself and who you are...who you want to be.
So basically this is my sappy, nostalgic (already, what?) take on the beginning of sophomore year. What what what

Missing Zhongguo...

"After two sessions with Mr. Xi, Mr. Biden went with his granddaughter Naomi and the new United States ambassador, Gary Locke, to a small restaurant north of Tiananmen Square that specializes in bowls of intestine for breakfast. The restaurant, tucked away behind the ancient building known as the Drum Tower, was crowded with Chinese patrons at lunchtime, many eating small pork buns and stir-fried vegetables. One yelled out “Beijing welcomes you!” in Mandarin Chinese and others shook hands with the vice president. A woman spoke to him about her relatives living in Minnesota."

I was reading this article, "Cooperation Is Emphasized as Biden Opens Talks in China" on the NYTimes website (link below). It describes Biden's talks with China's vice president and probably soon to be president, Xi Jinping. The two discussed various matters concerning America and China...economy, exports, Taiwan, and Tibet.
This little description about the food made me laugh to myself. Those "small pork buns" are bao zi and those fried vegetables are chao shucai. I love the bit about intestines for breakfast...gotta shock that American audience right? And even better, "Beijing Welcomes You." I only recently learned that the Olympic Game characters of 2008 are named Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini. Together, Beijing huanying ni or "Beijing welcomes you."
I love the details about the Chinese people shaking Biden's hand and conversating with him-I half wonder if they knew who he was, or if it was just the lao wai-ness that made them curious.
The little things I've learned over two months come together to form this new, wonderful image of China (and Asia) that I could never get from just reading the NYTimes.
So I'm so grateful for this experience.




http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/19/world/asia/19china.html?_r=1&ref=world

Walking through Detroit airport was one of the strangest experiences of my life. Well, first I had to retrive my camera from the plan which required going to three different desks and finally getting the nicest Delta worker ever (he was a French man!) to get my camera.
Phew!

Other than that, it was really strange to walk through there. The smells of Chili's and McD's were turning my stomach, the amount of laowai was astonishing (but I'm not in China, I would think to myself) and the cleanliness of the bathrooms was amazing.

No squat toilets? What am I going to do with myself?

I made my dad take me to Cookout and had the Oreo milkshake I've been craving all summer.

I have lots of gifts to bestow and lots of sleeping to do.

I also have HP to watch.

This can't be real, I can't be here already, what happened?

McDonald's Runs:
9

Time Flies

I can't believe it's been two months since I left home.

I had no idea I'd be the person people would call if they got lost.

I didn't think I'd get to hike Huangshan or see oracle bones.

I didn't think I'd be able to understand bits and pieces of a Chinese conversation, let alone have one with a taxi driver.

And now everyone is calling me Chinese...I have assimilated. And I don't mind! The eggplant's still delicious.

Why International Dorms Rock

I really like being in an international dorm and taking classes with other international students. Not only is it interesting to hear Chinese being spoken in Spanish, Portuguese, British, Indian and Russian accents, but to be able to meet people from different places is pretty cool. I’ve meet Chris from Poland, who is the best when he’s “slightly tipsy…tipsy is a funny word…”, and Sol from Spain who is the funniest most adorable little girl I have ever met. She’s older than me though, but still, she’s adorable.
So basically, having a great time at Zheda YuQuan campus. Not to mention they have 4.5 Y eggplant. FOUR POINT FIVE YUAN.

New Adventures

So I have a bunch of characters waiting to be written but I just need to brain dump because I haven’t done that in a WHILE. Partly because Blogspot is blocked at the university, as is Facebook and all those other fun sites. It sucks.
I’m no longer staying at Ling Yin Si (Ling Yin Temple) and have moved to Zheda YuQuan Campus, a.k.a Zhejiang University’s YuQuan campus’ international dorm, and boy, things are hectic.
We got a new batch of students in for July, about 11, all girls. They’re really cool and it’s been fun showing them around. I’ve been delegated to navigator/direction person because I apparently have a good sense of direction? We’ve been going different places for dinner every night. I helped us get to night market and an Indian restaurant.
I don’t know where to start with night market. It was crazy. Getting there was half the fun (or pain). I figured out a new bus, the 900, but after I was on the bus I realized that the lack of a “K” in front of the number means it’s not air conditioned. Not to mention, most of our group of 9 had to stand because the bus was packed. Sweat was dripping all over the place. I was literally drenched, as were most of us. It was gross.
After ten stops most of us finally had seats and I could feel the grumpiness. One thing I forget is that I don’t really mind long bus rides, but other people sometimes have problems with them. The thing with big groups is that you have to find some sort of balance between everyone.
We sidled down a side street that got us to night market on Hefang Chie. Everything was the same; Chinese people trying to take pictures of us, lots of little booths with overpriced touristy goods, and fried goods. Chopsticks shops, umbrella shops, and three Indian shops (we had to go to all of them).
Next, we figured out that our “snack street” was actually a snack ALLEY and the REAL snack street was way back down the other way! We saw various things on sticks, including:
• Tarantulas
• Starfish
• Eels
• Grubs
• Sea horses
• Squids/octopi
• Crabs
Basically, it was cray cray up in thur. Two phones were lost and then found. Fried dough was eaten, and dumplings. I thought I ordered boba but received sprite. And we all got home safely.

note: it is now the next morning and boy do i regret not going to sleep earlier. argh!

Dépaysement

Dépaysement (French) is one of matadornetwork.com's 20 Untranslatable Words. They take it to mean "the feeling of not being in one's homeland."
That's what the first few weeks felt like as my jet-lagged and culture shocked self wandered the streets of China with only a few phrases under my belt (thank you, hello, goodbye). I had no idea how to navigate by using the bus system or the difference between a half kuai coin and a dime coin. Everything was so busy-people were everywhere, the streets were packed and the stares were intimidating. After time I got used to it, the rhythm of the city, the curious looks of the Chinese, and the traffic. I'm not sure what I expected, but I've discovered so much; monks on e-bikes, quiet monasteries, curious cafe baristas, and fish flavored eggplant.
And yet, Hangzhou is best in the early morning when I'm running and the only people I see are monks and tea farmers. It's really worth savoring what's left after the tumult dies down.
_____
McDonald's Runs: 6

Yu Xiang Qie Zi

Yu xiang qie zi.
I say it three times before someone understands me-I’m just glad they bring out the right dish, fish flavored eggplant. It’s really just eggplant with small pieces of pork, peppers and onions in a special sauce, which I like to eat with rice (mi fan). It’s easier to order rice than anything else.
I settle into my chair, reading River Town by Peter Hessler. The book details Hessler’s time in Fuling, China while serving in the Peace Corps. It’s interesting to read about his experiences with the staring, the language barrier and just how different everything is.
It’s been two and a half weeks, but it feels like a month. The rain has been torrential but is now familiar, I no longer cringe when rainwater hits my flip-flopped feet. I have regular haunts; the white house restaurant down the street from my apartment, the Vineyard Café in town, and McD’s for a weekly McFlurry indulgence.
Overall, China is an experience. I’m learning so much. I have 25 characters under my belt, just enough to make out one character from random business buildings around town. I know enough phrases to survive around town, I can get around on the bus, and I know my way around the lake. I’m more self-dependent, I don’t need other people to figure out my way-which is good, because asking them would be a pain.
In short, I’m loving it here so far and I hope it continues to be this sweet.

Back in Hangzhou

Went back to Hangzhou today. The bus ride back was...interesting. We got one of those awesome busses where everyone sits on the second level, so that was cool. Unfortunately, the old lady behind me was having some serious carsickness, so that kinda but a damper on the whole 270 degree view of the highway and Chinese countryside thing.
Oh well, so it goes.
I'm back in Hangzhou, chilling in "Paris Baguette", one of the many pseudo-French bakeries which hardly have any sweet pastries...but the "pizzas" and "doughnuts" are pretty tasty. The baguettes are legitimate, especially the garlic ones. The baristas (I guess?) where black and white striped shirts and berets. Cute.
I have about an hour or two before I teach.
I'm just observing the couples who are sitting nearby...there's at least 3. Is Hangzhou a city of love or something? Everywhere I turn, there are couples-you can tell because a lot of them like to match. Chinese girls have some sweet style. I want their clothes, but
1. I don't know how Chinese sizes work but I'm pretty sure I'd have to have XL everything
2. I don't know where to get these clothes for cheap.
But I will find out!
Learned more characters yesterday. :]
Also, I saw a WHOLE GROUP OF LAO WAI today in Hangzhou. It must've been a field trip for international school kids or something. By that, I mean kids who go to an international school in Shanghai
I will start counting how many times I go to McD's. It's the best place for reliable food, where I don't have to worry about ordering the wrong thing...and McFlurries are really goooood.
McDonald's Runs:
3

Chilling in Ningbo

So I'm sitting in the Zeal Education Group office in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China. Basically, Zeal is a company that helps Chinese high school students apply to American colleges and universities. This is a booming business in China, a country where (from what i've gathered) high school students focus on testing and analytical essay writing, so when the time comes to write personal statements or narrative essays for college applications, they're pretty lost.
It was great talking to Chinese students about the differences in Chinese and American education. One girl told me she started learning math in 1st grade. There were no breaks and students were punished for answering questions wrong. Compare this to America where I had recess until 7th grade (well, it was basically a 15 minute break but still) and where math was never the focus of my education and was rather the bane of my existence. Different, right?
Not to mention, a lot of Chinese teaching revolves around dictation and reciting facts or poems or essays. America likes to discuss things (for the most part) and have seminars and the like.
These differences interest me quite a bit.
I also enjoyed answering student's questions about American colleges and universities....a lot of them are worrying about SATs already. One parent asked me what it took to get into Amherst. I couldn't just say "Get a 2400" because that's not what it takes. I believe Amherst cares about grades, but they care more about the actual student. What does the student love? Does show what he loves through the essay?
Not to mention her daughter, who is a sophomore, had a 2100 or something ALREADY. Wow.
Look up "tiger mother" on Google for an interesting article...

tests and dictation vs. discussion, success vs. acceptance of lower standards...
Oh, and I explained SATs and SAT subject tests (in Chinese) to a room full of parents and students. ACK! Pinyin saved my life.
I apologize if I cursed anyone out by accident with my horrible American tones.



Pokemon Ice Cream. It exists.
P.S Happy Graduation, Tabor-ites. Enjoy!

Being a Laowai

One thing you'll notice as a foreigner in China (or at least in this part of China, Hangzhou) is that the Chinese like to stare. They stare at anything remotely different, interesting, or cute. And they especially like to stare at foreigners, or Laowai. The younger Chinese people will sometimes say "Hello!" as you're walking down the street, and laugh if/when you answer back. The older ones will just stare quietly and, in my experience, are less likely to smile or greet you. These aren't rude stares, they're merely curious stares that may lead to conversation about my origins (meiguoren (American), I say, pointing to myself).
It's interesting, coming from a place where so many different people live and work together to Hangzhou, where I usually don't see more than 10 foreigners in a single day of walking about, unless I head to an ex-pat cafe or bar like the vineyard.
...
You know you've been in Hangzhou for two weeks when:
-You’re still surprised everytime you see a laowai (foreigner)

-You’re used to the staring

-You’ve find your way past the Great Firewall

-If you have bad Chinese, you stick to ordering street food by pointing or going to Starbucks or McDonald’

-You know which busses take you home and which take you where you need to go (for the most part) but when someone throws a new bus into your system you can’t figure out where to catch it

-You’ve learned bartering vocabulary

Traveling Adventures and Misadventures: Impressions of Hangzhou

31/5/11 Last day of May. Still not sure if I’ll get to teach. The man at the teaching center yesterday sounded like he wanted a SAT math tutor and asked for my score. AACK. Math, especially SAT math, is my weak point.
Today: grocery store to find some snacks, maybe a plastic bowl and chopsticks for my own, shampoo/conditioner, and later tonight: maybe night market, need to find Engrish shirts! I saw one that said “Leave me alone” and I saw another grandma wearing a skull and bones shirt. It was classy too, the pattern was all skulls.
Yesterday I got around the whole south west corner of Xi Hu (West Lake) on my own! I took a taxi there, asking to go to “Nanshan Lu.” Well, I realy just said “Nanshan Lu” and just nodded when he said something else. Apparently Nanshan is really long, so I kinda said “Ok” and pointed when I wanted him to stop. I ended up stopping a bit too early, but hey, I saved some yuan! I used the map to find a café which I guess isn’t there anymore…but ended up finding another place with free wi-fi called Costa Coffee. It was kinda overpriced, but the cool mango passionfruit smoothie was worth it. The girl who worked there, Helena, talked to me for a few minutes and gave me some great tips. I love it when Chinese people are genuinely interested in where you come from and what you’re doing here.
I think I’m developing something called “Foreigner Radar” because whenever I see another foreigner I tend to stare and wonder what they’re doing here. Yesterday I saw another African American/african (!) that’s a rarity. We exchanged a wave and smile. I don’t know if there are a lot of European and American tourists in Hangzhou, I’ve only seen a few European tourists, but there are a lot of Ex-pats (ex-patriates) around who seem to be on their e-bikes (moped type things) and bicycles like the locals.
I’m surprised by the sheer amount of Chinese tourists. In our little section of town near Ling Yin Temple, tour guides pass behind our apartment every. single. morning. I wonder what they could be saying in their megaphones, holding their flags : “And here is an apartment where we have heard news of foreigners!”
The family has a little baby girl and she is SO CUTE. Everytime she sees me she does a cute little wave and I’m like “awwwwww” inside. SO CUTE. CAN I STEAL CHU? KXIEXIE. (kthx, Chinese style.)
I still haven’t had to use my phrase, “my Chinese isn’t that good”. I use my two food vocab words, “mien” which are noodles and “tang” (sp?) which is sweet. I usually depend on our more talented peers who can order for us.
Now, back for a day on the bus and traveling by foot. We walk around a lot. It tires me out, but that’s fine. I’ve gotten used to the rock hard bed, now it feels normal! Sleeping at home is gonna be mega-weird.
zaijian!

Traveling Adventures and Misadventures: Getting Settled in Hangzhou

Hangzhou (pronounced han (like the dynasty) joe (like coffee) is gorgeous. It’s supposedly the city with the most trees, and basically every street looks like Central Park. I’ve been fighting jet lag by walking everywhere, eating noodles, pork, and fish, shopping for snacks and exchanging currency. I’ve also been getting used to the Chinese tendency to stare at foreigners-sometimes I hold a private staring contest with them, or smile awkwardly.
However, not knowing Chinese, I feel both helpless and curious. Today I’ve learned the Chinese characters for yuan (the currency) and China. That’s two out of thousands. This afternoon I entered a clothing store, expecting to look around and then walk out. I ended up being swarmed by at least 5 employees who all spoke Chinese to me and told me to sit down. After the first “ni hao” I understood nothing but took the magazine they pushed into my hands and flipped through awkwardly. Three women pressured another woman to practice her English on me, and she pointed upstairs and told me “more, up.” So I followed her and looked at the expensive but nice clothing. She suggested some clothes to me and I nodded, smiling, but then pointed at my watch and then outside, saying “I have to go meet someone.” She nodded, a bit disappointed. I felt horrible but I had no money! She led me back downstairs, and I said I’d come back when I had money, making the international (I think?) sign for money. Then I said goodbye (one of the few Chinese words I know) and left. For the rest of the time, I walked awkwardly in front of other stores, avoiding that one store.
Everything is relatively cheaper here. A taxi cab ride costs no more than 5 dollars, about 30 yuan. Today I paid about 10 dollars for a surge protector, bananas, oatmeal, honey, toilet paper and Chinese orange juice, which I swear has fake pulp and tastes like Sunny D…
I’m staying on the third floor of an apartment with two other ACI fellows, and it’s an interesting experience to say the least. The apartment is located at Ling Yin Temple (look it up!). It’s a great area, kinda touristy though.The roof in my room is slanted. I painfully realized this when I was unpacking some of my clothes last night when I arrived. It has a small window that opens to the backs of more apartments. I also learned that mattresses in China are not very comfortable (excuse me if I’m making a wrong generalization). The one I slep ton last night felt like a box-I’ve decided to make a layer of clothing and blankets in order to lessen the back pain. I’m sure I’ll get used to it soon…I’ve been pampered in America! I feel like my sentences are all monotone sounding so I should Lanham-ize right about now.
I really wish we had wi-fi in the apartment because I need to look up some Chinese phrases stat. Things like “Please”, “How much?” and basic food stuff…so I don’t end up eating a whole fish again. Chinese menus are no good now-I can’t wait until July when we start learning Chinese for real!
So basically, here’s a list of things I’ve learned on my first day in China:
1. The Chinese like to stare at foreigners.
2. Mopeds are huge.
3. Noodles are yummy.
4. People like to cough, hack and spit on sidewalks.
5. Pedestrians have no rights or protection

Traveling Adventures and Misadventures: En route to Shanghai

So my traveling began yesterday (Tuesday the 24th) early, at 5 a.m. We drove over to Charlotte where i said goodbye and went on to wait for about 4 hours for my flight to JFK. I knew that I was pushing my luck with my 45 minute layover at JFK, and then there was a ceremony for a fallen soldier and my flight was delayed by 30 minutes so I thought i was screwed. Delta offered me a re-route but they never mentioned it while I was boarding so I figured I would be fine...
The flight took about 1 hour and 20 minutes. I was counting the minutes anxiously as we arrived 30 minutes before my flights departure. But THEN the jetway people were lagging and we didn't deplane until 20 minutes before departure. I don't know if you know this, but with international flights (and most other flights) you have to be on board 15 minutes before departure. Well, I got there 13 minutes before departure. As they smirked and told me "You gotta be here 15 minute before! It's gone!" I was frustrated and almost at tears. The plane was most definitely NOT gone. I went over to Gate 11 to see what Delta could give me. At first they wouldn't give me a hotel night, and I was too defeated to fight for it. I had gotten used to the idea of sleeping in the dirty, nasty Terminal 3 which I swear hasn't been renovated since the fifties when I met up with some people who had also missed the connection. They said they fought with the Delta people for 30 minutes, yelling and screaming, and Delta finally gave them a hotel room. So, heart filled with hope, I wandered back to Gate 11 and very easily got myself a room at the local Doubletree. Happily, I headed to Federal Circle to meet the shuttle (which, btw, took 45 minutes to arrive.) My head was pounding from lack of sleep and I was generally worn out.
After crashing in the hotel room from 5 to 8, I got a free dinner (yeah delta vouchers!) and then decided to stay up out of fear of missing my shuttle at 4 a.m. I drank coffee and watched Glee and Modern Family for hours, then left on the shuttle. I sat next to this ADORABLE German lady, she was tiny and old and so cute. The whole time she was saying "Half of my butt is off the chair!" and giggling in her German way. Of course, silly me heard a clang on the floor of the shuttle and didn't realize my phone had fallen from my pocket. Once I realized I didn't have it, I went after the shuttle which had just left from the terminal. I chased it for like 30 seconds, then lost it. I then went 2 terminals over to call Doubletree to ask if I could pick up my phone, and they said the shuttle would be back in 15 minutes LIES. I waited for 45 minutes, no shuttle. So whatevs, maybe I'll convince my mom to get an iPhone, or maybe I'll find an iPhone for cheap in China?
After that ordeal I boarded my flight to Detroit, sitting next to a smelly, quiet Kazakhstan(i?) girl. She had just run through the airport to catch the flight, I could tell. Finally, I'm here in Detroit, awaiting my 3:30 boarding time for China, mellow, tired, but happy. I can't wait to get on that plane.
So here is my last blogpost from the states, for 2 months! Hope you enjoyed (for my 2 readers). And if you want to keep up with me, (I'm not sure if blogspot will be accessible) please read my xanga.

china on tuesday.

I'm kinda crazy excited slash worried about missing my flight in JFK because i have a 45 minute connection slash wondering where i'm going to live slash really crazy excited.
check out my collab channel (if i can call it that?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qslljKf_jks&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Airport Incidents (1)

I just had an interesting encounter with an airport worker.
I was on my laptop, on reddit, per usual, and I noticed that he was kinda hovering so I looked up and he was like
"Oh hi, I just wanted to say hi."
And I was like..."Hi?" And then he shook my hand and I was confused. And then he asked
me if I was a college student and where I went to college and what my name was, all very quickly. I felt like I was on one of those weird news things where you hear about the person being killed or something-I was probably overreacting. But anyways, it was strange. And then he gave me another bro-handshake and said "have a nice day" and I kinda mumbled something unintelligibly as he walked off.
What what what! Maybe Dulles is just filled with overly-kind airport workers or something...
Well, 2 more hours to boarding time.


___
On another note, Things I love about airports and traveling:
1. The feeling of going somewhere, and the fact that you share this feeling with everyone else who's there.
2. The random assortment of cultures and races-hearing Spanish and Amharic in the same terminal.
3. Airport food and books
4. Waiting, creeping on facebook and reddit and blogging
5. Looking at people as they walk by
6. Hearing other peoples conversations and wondering where they're going and why
7. Looking at the huge planes and wondering where THEY are going
8. The feeling right before the plane's wheels touch the ground
9. Landing, rather than taking off
10.Arrival

Ultimate Dream

The day began before the crack of dawn at 5 a.m while i speedily put in my contacts to avoid being in the bathroom as a sick floormate was about to barf. I have a problem with barfing.
After this not-so-pleasant beginning to the day, I rushed over to Val and we promptly left for regionals, me driving a van of 6 sleeping ultimate frisbee playing college students 2 hours through Vermont to Dartmouth in New Hampshire.
Our first game with Harvard was not so good. We tied...almost very point. We tired them out eventually and got the lead for a point or two, but then they came back in the end and we lost 14-12. We shook it off, did our song-cheer for them, and went off to play Tufts.
Tufts is incredibly good. Their girls are super fast, they have great throws, and they know how to score...a lot. We went 15-2...they crushed us. But the record against Tufts was a measly 3 points so...no hard feelings.
Our third game was more frustrating-Boston University had just played a tiring game against Harvard but they came out strong. We were behind for a few points, and then came super close (only 2 points away)-however in the end BU pulled it out. However, during the second half we had really pumped up ourselves and our older teammates were playing with enthusiasm and guts. We may have lost point-wise, but we won in spirit.
My favorite part wasn't watching awesome layouts or great point blocks. My favorite part was hearing the seniors talk about why they would miss ultimate. It made me think about cherishing my time here, and my time playing ultimate. I'm going to miss the seniors, and our coach who's leaving...
However, laughing over garlic knot pizza and choosing choice music on the carride home was great fun. I'm excited for the very last frisbee event which is tomorrow...but I'm still a bit sad about the seniors.
Anyways,
I've come such a long way this year. At the beginning of the year, my throws were horrible, my cuts were disgusting and I couldn't even understand the rules. Now I'm cheering from the sideline, throwing hammers, and cutting deep, and sometimes even scoring and laying out. I'm so glad I stuck with ultimate, and I'm so so so excited for the next three years here.

identity.

It usually hasn't bothered me before, but nowadays I'm wondering what I AM.
Through high school, I just decided that I WAS and disregarded the "race" thing. I checked black when I filled out forms, and I cringed at the black jokes my friends made.
However, when I'd bring up my discomfort at these jokes, one said, "It's okay. You're not black, you're Kenyan."
I wondered why that made it ok, and why I couldn't stand up when people where being rude and derogatory. As a first generation American citizen, do I have no right to stop disrespect when I see it? Since my family hasn't been through slavery, does that make me exempt from racist remarks and racialization?
If I try untangling my identity, I send like a milk carton: 50% Kenyan, 25% Malian, 25% Mexican, but with French and American citizenship and a father who's a French native. I usually end up saying "My mom's Kenyan and my dad's French." and I save the rest for when I have time to explain it. The thing is, my dad probably identifies more with his French identity than with his Malian or Mexican one...he barely speaks Spanish but speaks French fluently, and was born and raised there. My mom is 100% Kenyan, and I look just like here, so people assume I'm African American-but I'm not EXACTLY. I guess I'm 75% African and 25% Mexican (I swear it all went to my hair...) I can't really say Kenyan-American though, that's just half of me. It's just confusing-I'm going to have to pick one thing and stick to it. I think I'll just check in the "multiracial" or "prefer not to answer" box from now on. If people don't believe me then whatever, son!
Oh, and I'm tired of the "WHATEVER YOU'RE HUMAN" stuff. I know I'm human, shoot me if I want to find out more about myself.

They say us college students overbook ourselves.

Tomorrow:
10-11. Breakfast. Read Black identities.
11-1230. Start houellbecq essay.
1230(or 1) to 4. Process, read black identities during drying, try contact sheet and maybe a print or two.
4-5. Review geo structures, redo the test thing.
5- CHILL OUT and check on prints.
6:30-??? CAO Spring concert.
???-9ish-Read/chill
10-2 Work.
Sunday:
11-12 Read BI and eat breakfast
12-4 Darkroom!
4-6 Watch movie for French/ meet for skit?
7-10 Dance rehearsal
10-12ish read more BI, GEO and chill OUT.

Forever Alone may not be so bad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7X7sZzSXYs

Richburg RANT

I'm reading a book for class about African American's voyages back to Africa-one of these people's names is Keith Richburg and he makes me VERY ANGRY.
Richburg is a reporter for the Washington Post who went to East Africa while Somalia's government (or lack thereof) was undergoing great trouble with warring clans and famine. Richburg quickly grew frustrated with Africa, claiming that Africans were "self-destructive" and "backwards", and even praising South Africa's apartheid regime, saying it looked almost American with its shopping malls and paved roads. Richburg had the gall to go to Goree, a site of slave transport in Dakar, Senegal, and praise the Africans who left centuries ago (in chains) leaving their backwards brothers behind.
*deep breath*
RICHBURG YOU ARE AN IDIOT! By making broad generalizations about the African condition, by not going over the history of the places you were studying, by insulting African women (calling them "easy") and by praising a racist regime, you made an absolute fool of yourself (imho).
However, this also goes to show that it's impossible to report on something without putting your own twist onto it. Unfortunately, Richburg's twist was ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS.
Journalism isn't about putting down some people and praising others. Journalism isn't about persuasion. Journalism is about exposure, exposure of problems in society, humans rights issues, corrupt politicians, environmental problems, and any injustice in this world! (And a myriad of other things!)
GAH!
Of course he'd be a reporter for the Washington Post (it's so conservative).

It's a rainy afternoon. 8 students pile into a van and are driven to a random spot on the side of a highway. With umbrellas on hand, they exit the van and stare at rocks for an hour.
Yeah geo field trips!
I find the class to be somewhat unexciting, but being able to describe the history of an area by looking at rocks is kind of awesome.

Things that are good:
-Sent visa form/got plane ticket to China
-Got plane ticket home
-School's wrapping up, no exams
-Frisbee is awesome, scored my first point a week or two ago and a week later I LAID OUT (got dirt on my shirt to prove it). Also sky'd someone and scored, am now called YAZZ hands. (yazzmataz. yazzercise. I like it)
-Gonna get paid a lot for spring concert! And i have another new job.
Things that are not good:
-Geo exam grade (argh!)
-Paper/project this week
-The weather
-Having to work spring concert

happy

tourney tomorrow.
party tonight.
good music right now.
life=good.

hell week (1)

so this is what hell week feels like.
i've got a photo assignment due thursday that I spent 5 hours working on today.
i have a geo exam on friday that i haven't studied enough for considering my last grade.
i have two books to read this week.
i have ultimate and quiz bowl and think and a study session and things to photograph and amidst all this i have to find time to eat, and to SLEEP.
good golly almighty!

Background

Just came from a spoken word poetry event. As always after attending such events, I feel inspired to write something of my own. This is a really bad attempt at *spoken* (typed) word. Seeing as noone reads this, I feel safe posting it here. (Also I deleted my tumblr due to the inaneness.)
__________



When people ask me about my “background”, I pause.
I wonder, “Will they believe me if I tell ‘em?”
Spelling out this tangled web of nationalities, “Malian. Mexican. French. Kenyan.” Will they even know where Mali is?
I think back to 8th grade,
When I showed my friend a picture of my grandmother, my dad’s mother,
And she said,” that can’t be your grandmother, she’s white”.
I was silenced.
In my family, we never said “white” or “black”.
We said “African.” “European.” “American.” Referring to people based on color was a foreign concept, just as foreign as my parents.
My roots stretch out far from here- from Guadalajara, toMarseilles, to Bamako, and to Kithimani (that’s in Kenya).
Can you believe it? I am not just “Black”. I am a mixture, a medley, a myriad of many in one motley body. My skin is monotone, but my background, far from it.
My mom’s mom speaks Swahili, my dad’s mom spoke French. Her mom spoke Spanish. My cousins speak Italian, my aunts speak German, and me, I speak English, some French, and a little Swahili, but I absorb and I learn and I love the variance that is my background.
I hate having to prove my background-because it’s not apparent by my appearance. Parlez-vous francais? oui, et je suis francaise.
So before you assume, before you tick off “black” on my form, let me tell you a tale of my tangled background. Let me show you just how far my roots stretch.

To Georgia and Back: 2000 miles of highway, 40 hours of driving, 1 Week of Fun

The following will be an extremely short summary of my trip to St. Simon's Island for an ultimate tournament. I aim to finish this post in 20 minutes so I can go do errands.

Going Down:

We left Amherst around 2:30 on Friday afternoon (it was the 11th!) and headed down 95 with relatively few hiccups except for one minor one in the Bronx. We had no near-death experiences but didn't get much of our scavenger hunt down (poo!) We arrived in D.C around 10 and went to sleep-this was day one of sleeping on the floor. Yay!
The next day we left bright and early around 8 and spent the day driving down, with one long stop at Cracker Barrel in NC, one shorter stop at South of the Border (what a strange place), and a few rest stops. We got down to Georgia around 7, snacked, showered and slept. The weather was fantasticalness. That's now a word.

While There:

The first few days were spent sunbathing, tossing on the beach, and socializing. Then we were down to business-Tuesday to Thursday were three days of intense Ultimate games.
Tuesday went kinda badly. We won our first game but lost our next two, and during the second one I twisted my knee funkily and had trouble walking for the rest of the day. The next day was better-my knee healed (yay!) and we won all four games that we played. My parents visited and brought Nutella and other foods, to the joy of the team. The last game was super long but we still beat Goucher (what what :D) despite undergoing a few injuries.

Day three of the tournament was kinda intense. We won our first two games. We demolished the first team, even playing a freshman point to win the game. We had a tight game with Umass. Then we played Wheaton, who beat us like 12-6 I think. It was sad...but we won the last point, and we played our best, so we were satisfied.
Thursday, day three, was St. Patty's day which meant revelry and dancing and jigs and such. Also, good fried food at a restaurant (which took forever to get there, but whatever).
We left early Friday morning, drove for about 10 hours (I felt bad only contributing one hour of driving time...but I was dead tired) and then stayed over in Philly. After 6 more hours of driving on Saturday, we were back!

All in all, it was a good time. I had good ice cream, enjoyed 70 degree weather, got some awesome point block Ds, etc. Can't wait until next year.
Also, this makes me realize I have no problem with 20 hour roadtrips. Maybe I'll go cross-country next summer?

i am so pumped.

In two days, I will be en route to St. Simon's Island, Georgia for a week at the beach, 3 days of Ultimate, 12 games, and 7 team dinners. AND a 20 hour car ride.
Excited? You betcha.


BEFORE DEPARTURE
-reading more scaphandre
-read more about souls of black folk
-read geo geo geo geo
-finish geo homework
-shoot some more for events!
-PACK
-CHILLAX

My Bucket List

1. Run a marathon
2. Go to Paris again and South Africa again
3. Learn a third language
4. Go to California
5. Go to Yosemite/Yellowstone/Grand Canyon
6. Go to Mexico
7. Go to Canada
8. Go to every continent.
9. Teach
10. Go to Egypt
11. Teach internationally
12. Try being a photojournalist
13. Go to Hawaii and Alaska.
14. Teach Ruodi and Crystal how to ride a bike
15. Make an impact on someone's life

she was sick like audrey hepburn when i met her

but we would both surrender, true love is not the kind of thing you should turn down.
don't ever turn it down.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
funny how i never listened to the avetts until i went up to college. i only like one of the songs i've heard so far...they're a bit too jangly for my tastes. I like more smooth acoustic iron and winey stuff. or delicious british accented mumford and sons banjo janglin'.


braindumping is healthy and should be done often.

I'm having a rocky night. Geo exam/quiz tomorrow.

TODO:
-3 more prints
-find my freakin' camera
-study rocks
-find my camera
-run dmz
-midpoint
-ultimate
-french hw? maybe?
-blst

I'm taking a 15 minute sanity break

before I begin reading my next book for class. Oh gawd.

___
I LOST MY CAMERA NOO. I think it's in the darkroom. I hope and pray that it's in the darkroom or I am in deep-
___

It rained today. It snowed yesterday. This weather is so dee-press-ing as Crystal would say.
Mac keys feel so nice and chiclet-y. I love them. So conducive to deep thought (that might be my imagination).

___

2 and a half hour classes are long. Long long long.

__

Gah, I am so stressed.
Now I'm always losing things,
This is just crazy.

i'm too cool to capitalize.

I'm chilling in the MRC office (Multicultural Resource Center) with Ruodi who is now distracted as always. Haha and now we're laughing because that's what we always do. There's some really interesting, thought provoking books here about racism, sexism, class divides, history, and the like. I want to read them all. And watch all the movies. But I don't have time.
________________________

don't wake me i plan on sleeping in.

I really like this blog. Since I could never keep a journal when I was younger, this replaces that disappointment. I now have an online journal where I can say whatever I want (unless it's illegal or something). And that's a good thing.
__________
I haven't been able to focus lately. The book we're eading now isn't even that bad and I can't focus on it for more than a few minutes.

I messed up rolling film again. I had 2 perfect rolls, and now I'm messing it up again. RAWR.

After processing film I feel like I just always smell like developer. Good and bad.

Later tonight I will have my first taste of Boba tea.

I don't know if I want/can go home for spring break or not. Choices choices choices choices choices.

_____
Pandora.
____
THIS WEEK:
-Usher
-Security
-international party
-read blackjacobinsandamercy
-movie movie
-study for geo
-take more shots

become unwired.

It's sad how wired we are as a world.

How do we get out of awkward situations? Pretend that we're texting. How do we ignore annoyances around us? Pop in our headphones. Can't we just *stop and smell the roses* once in a while?

Amherst is very famous (or at least kinda famous) for the "Amherst Awkward", the sense of awkwardness that pervades the social scene.
Basic points of the Amherst Awkward:
1. If you see someone you know walking ahead and you don't want to talk to them, slow down.
2. If you see someone walking towards you who you know, look down until you're at the right, non-awkward distance for a greeting. Too soon and you'll have the awkward time when you don't say anything and walk past each other. Too slowly, and you'll miss them. This is a science.
3. If you hang out with someone and they are drunk, and then you see them later while sober, don't expect them to remember you. If you try to say hi, it will probably be awkward.

Back to my point: let's NOT be wired. There should be a day where everyone puts away their cell phones, iPads, iPods, iPod Touches, anything electronic (except for a computer or something for work) and just enjoys the day. Breathe. Laugh. Smile. Talk to other people face to face!

I agree that phones are useful and sometimes necessary, but we shouldn't become mindless drones because of their convenience.

Just something to keep in mind.

This week:
try to get ahead in blst
prints for photo, start next assignment
get registered
practice
ach open house
movie for french
study geo and read

the swimming song-vetiver

I'm in a very indie banjo janglin' feel good mood
I'm in a good place, I have a manageable amount of work to do, I have awesome summer projects, I have not so cold weather, I have a knitting project and lovely chiclet apple keys underneath my fingers
and in a few minutes I'll be smelling developer and turning paper over and looking at test strips
and everything is fine

90th

Oh no, I was doing so well then life happened and I forgot about blogging. (or my 365. ehh it might become a 52 week thing because i feel like if i don't take a picture of something meaningful there's no point to taking a picture in the first place. plus digital just seems so...simple after all the work that i 'm doing in photo I. that was a long parenthetical statement.)
I still have 40 pages to read for today, 30 tomorrow, a reading log to do, knitting to learn, prints to make, lesson plans to figure out, and bathroom counters to identify.
good golly!

haiku

developer smell
woosh woosh snap splash snip
darkroom is my life

busybee

I thought I knew what busy meant-then I started spending 10-15 hours a week in the darkroom.
Phew. There goes any energy to do other homework!
Other than that, today was swell.
我兴奋地学习中文
I am excited to learn chinese----google translate, chyeah
on the list:
min quiz tomorrow
2 more prints...!
read more
french, read book

you better lose yourself in the music the moment you own it.

you better never let it go.

________________
Today I had a really interesting, dynamic discussion the meaning of racism in my Black Studies class. The book we were reading described racism as an ideology where one group of people is thought to have unchangeable characteristics that make it impossible for them to ever assimilate with another group. Thus, division based on religion can't be racism because one can always convert. This led us to discussing what America's fear of Muslims is...racism, or xenophobia. I believe it's rote xenophobia; if an everyday American say a man wearing a turban or a woman wearing a hijab on their plane, they'd probably get nervous. If these people were wearing American clothing, I don't think they'd feel that fear because those people would have assimilated.

Well that's my take.
In other words, V-Day wasn't as awkward as expected-let's hope it stays that way.

___
To do this week:
Study minerals
study for french quiz friday
read for blst
more prints/shoots

and today, it was warm.

the temperature rose above freezing. when i tentatively left the darkroom, marvelling at the fact that it was already dark out, i felt a strange sensation...relative warmth. it was wonderful and also slightly weird.
today, i finally successfully rolled my film. it was a proud moment. i decided it works best if i do a roll at a time and just go in and do it without thinking.

tomorrow:
-get blst book/start reading form
-study minerals
-finish/submit aci app
-shoot more
-hope for non-awkward flower situation

My Wrists Hurt

and I'm still embarrassed by my failure at free styling well:
"I'm not an alcoholic but I like to take shots
I like to take good pictures, and I'm sad when they're not."
But I learned how to "tornado" and "helicopter" and I took many shots and I learned so much and it was really a great experience.
I can't wait to get back in the lab and start making new beats on Reason, maybe adding Carl Sagan to the track...
oh ho ho.

Snow Melting

today, on the way back from my run, i saw a patch of grass. Green, wet, muddyish grass. It was a beautiful moment, inspiring me to continue running even though I'd just stumbled up a horrible hill and felt like death. The fact that the snow is GOING AWAY made me incredibly happy.
It's supposed to snow on Saturday though. BOF.

____
To-do this weekend:
finishing shooting first pan/self portrait roll and make contact sheet/one print for last assignment
watch documentary/take notes and study for mineral quiz
epilogue
french c

photos, phish, foolishness

Taking photography (I KNOW I KNOW I'VE TALKED ABOUT IT IN EVERY POST FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS) is making me want to be a photojournalist...again. I know I'll be starving if I choose that route, but still, I just feel like capturing the world and making the unseen seen would be such a rewarding experience.
Today was a long day, but I learned so much. I saw amazing slides in Photo (Henri Cartier-Bresson...a master of photography. And he didn't even develop his own prints). I met up and discussed plans for applying for the Dalai Lama Fellowship which Ruodi, Crystal and I are hoping to get in order to implement a system of financial literacy workshops and an art program where students will sell their artwork for profit...in my grandma's village in Kenya. I hope it works. Regardless, I will be in Kenya this summer...if all goes well.

On the menu for tomorrow:
gym
dance (and practice breakdancing)
try shooting self portrait (can't be of self)
meeting for kenya
geo reading

Ahead

I really enjoy being slightly ahead with my work. It's so different from last semester, when I always had something to read or write or do. Now, I have more time for myself (when I'm not in the darkroom or in Geo lab) and it's wonderful. After I write this up I'm gonna look at some study abroad programs, my favorite way to procrastinate. Paris or Nice? Or Morocco or Madagascar or Senegal? Je ne sais pas.

On the menu for the rest of the week:
Finish reading geo/study for mineral quiz
Finish the epilogue of blst
GO TO THE GYM!
Meet up to talk about dalai lama fellowship
hip hop hw

The darkroom is a frustrating place.
Especially putting the film on the reel in the dark. I messed up another roll of film by reeling it on wrong. RAWR!

___
In other news:
Frisbee is fun but I'm hella sore
I have a tolerable amount of reading. Ahead in BLST.
I don't like practicing late. Also there's lots of tools on my floor. Meaning college boys who think they're hot stuff. They need to shut up right....now....nope.
____
Since I'm obviously not in the best blogging mood (but my normal mood is fine, je promis!) I'll just leave a haiku here.
(Those boys really need to shut UP)

keep quiet, children
no one cares about your crap
we just want to sleep

(I'm not that annoyed, I was just happy that what I wanted to say fit into those syllabic patterns.)

___
On the menu for thursday/friday:
-finish hip hop homework
-3 beats at diff. bpms
-4 lines of a rap
-a dance
-next photo assignment, processing, and first prints
-blst book
-geo reading and mineral quiz studying
-current event,type up summary (french)

Classes

It feels so good to say I really like all of my classes. Even though photo takes up a lot of time and money, black studies makes me realize how bad I am at discussion, french is almost too easy (right now, at least), and geo is, well, about rocks, I really like them all. It's hard to say which one is my favorite right now-geo and photo are competing for the title.
It's also nice to know I'm kinda finding out what I want to do. If all goes well, I want to be a ____ & French major. Yes...double majoring, because French is a super easy major to complete. I'm 1/4 of the way through. You only need 8 French classes, one in 18th-19th century lit, and one in medieval history. If I take 4 when I study abroad fall of junior year (hopefully in Nice) I'll be done by the time I get back. And no thesis is required.
What will fill up the ___? Geology? Art and the History of Art? History?
For now, je ne sais pas. everything in its own time.

On the menu for tonight:
20ish pages of racism: a short history
__ish pages of black and white photography by henry horenstein
if possible, read more geo
tomorrow, finish shooting film and process after geo lab

Ultimate is back in session. Yes, practice is at 9:30-11 at night because intramural basketball takes the gym at all times, and yes, suicides were terrible, but playing a scrimmage for the first time in months was so much fun. And I actually got a point, wahoo!

I'm now sore, hyped up and not wanting to do my reading. I've just eaten two packets of oatmeal (brain food yo) and am now listening to a Dr. Who/Green Day Holiday mashup (yee tumblr) and enjoying a bit of peace before learning about antisemitism in the medieval age.

Photography, art?

People wonder if photography is art. If I take a machine, without knowing anything about aperture, iso, shutter speed and the like, and then take a picture which is accidentally aesthetically pleasing, did I make art?

Some people believe art requires some sort of effort on the part of the artist.
Today I learn how much effort it entails.
Developing film is a long process. It begins with putting film on a reel by opening the canister and turning a reel while keeping the film steady, trying not to twist the film, and cutting the end of the film off.
In the dark.
This was easily one of the hardest things I've ever had to do-my sense of sigh was completely gone, and I had to rely on touch and sound to get the film on the reel. I failed-parts of my film were undeveloped-but I'm still glad I got SOME film developed.
The rest of the process required developer, stop bath (to stop development), fixer, and fix remover. These processes were timed and agitation (shaking the canister of film with the reels to make sure all the film gets the liquid) was only at very specific times. Measurements were incredibly important. It was hard, but rewarding.

When I removed my now purple film from the reels, I was amazed to see my photos in negative form. I then dried and cut the film into 5 squares each. Although some/most of it is marred by not being developed, I'm still proud.

And so, I think that's quite a bit of effort...so it must count as art.

On the menu for this week:
Finish last photo assignment/process film
BLST book (no reading form gasp yes)
Geo readings and mineral quiz thing/lab
French readings

My wrists are so sore from breakdancing today.



Today, Nomadic Wax, an international fair trade record company, came to Amherst and gave 7 of us Jeffs lessons in freestyling, djing, break dancing, and beatmaking. It was incredibly fun. My favorite was beatmaking and using this program called reason to make beats which we will then freestyle with next week at a performance. There will also be a break battle. AHHHH!

I liked learning how AMERICAN hip hop is, how much improvisation is involved, and how much art is involved. Really eye opening.

There was a b-girl (break dancing girl) from France, who taught us how to break. Her name was B Girl FraK (look her up on YouTube!)

There was also an Italian D.J and the head of the company actually went to Hampshire and studied the relationship between hip hop and political change in Senegal.

Supercooldude.

I had fun with Crystal, making fools of ourselves freestyling.

And now I'm listening to Outkast (atl represent!)

forever, foreveever, foreverever?



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYxAiK6VnXw

Adaptation

Before I left for Amherst, the scariest thing I thought I would have to face and adapt to was the New England winter. As the weather got chillier, I thought to myself, "This isn't so bad." Now, with highs barely reaching 20 degrees Fahrenheit and a 30 degree day feeling like summer, I feel like I've completely adapted. The secret to getting through winter here is learning to get used to snow and cold, and buying a good pair of boots, gloves, and a hat.

Although I've gotten used to it, summer still seems really far away when there's two blizzards around the corner (after already having 2) and I hear about 70 degree weather at home and school being delayed because of rain. Laughing, I think to myself that if this were Winston, there wouldn't have been school for a month (or more).

At any rate, I don't think I'll be getting Seasonal Affective Disorder anytime soon, which is a good thing.

This weekend:
Sparkle Ball
Hip Hop Workshop with a fair trade record company (IDK how that works)
Geo HW (Identify minerals)
BLST Reading Form and Last 12 pages of book
French chapter
Photo shutter speed/d.o.f assignment and process film

Nostalgia

I was looking back on my old blog posts, and saw a line that amused me about my first day at Amherst (during orientation): "The air here smells like education." I was probably drunk on excitement at the moment. However, my first few moments at Amherst were memorable; I remember the hot weather, the peace demonstrators in town, the crowds of freshmen students wandering around with their parents, and the green quad filled with cars. I was nervous about my roommate, and classes, and money, and making friends. It was the most awkward and amazing week of my life. I learned so much, went camping for the first time, and learned how to live with another person. Everything felt new and different, I was adapting to life "up north" and I was still excited about the Ice Cream and fro yo at Val. That was a good feeling, and I'm sad I've lost it as work started up and things got more stressful. However, I'm glad I met so many new people who I would never have associated before. I'm planning great things, and doing new activities, and learning everyday. The air DID smell like education, and possibility, and a new beginning. Now it smells a bit more like soy sauce and snow mush, but that's alright. I'm remember why I love Amherst so much and how grateful I am to be here.

life

I'm so disorganized. I can't even put together an interesting blog post which no one reads anyways. That's why I use lists so often.
I have recently created a Xanga (I know right?) because a friend of mine blogs on Xanga. So I think I will start "blogging" for real now and not just spilling out incoherent thoughts.
If you want to follow it, you need a Xanga. Retro, right? It's almost hipster.
Well that's about it.
Hello my one follower, Aly!

So far...

I'm kinda thinking this semester will be way less writing intensive then the last (I had at least 15 papers, mostly short ones, to write since i had 3 writing intensive classes). I'm wondering if I should've taken a writing intensive French class instead of conversation...which is tres simple...ehh. But then I remmeber that I'll be reading a book a week for Black Studies, as well as spending most of my daylight hours in the darkroom for photography. :D :D
Also, the geology final project is supposedly killer. Wooooot!
I'm sososososososososo excited!!!!!

Tomorrow is Monday.
Tomorrow is the start of a new semester, new professors, new classmates and new (mountains of homework).
Tomorrow is January 24th...
ACK!

___
Things that I'm worried about
-intro to black studies. a.k.a the class that teaches you how to read/write effectively, the class where you read a book every week and complete a 20something question log, the class that only meets once a week for 2.5 hours.
-getting into photography. but i have philosophy and religion as options if necessary.
-participation...participation...participation.
-balancing all this with quidditch and ultimate (in season, now).
things i'm happy about
-having a job. i need oatmeal money!
-the big paycheck that will be coming my way anyday now..i have my eye on a canon ae-1 on ebay...
-new classmates
-GEO! i've heard so many good things...i'm excited. i hope i won't be disappointed.

well, let's do this.

looking back

The following will be a stream-of-consciousness description of 2010. Warning: may not make a lick of sense. I felt like saying "lick", embracing the southernness while I still can, y'know?

Graduating, beach trip, first "real" phone, first "real" phone accident, senior sleepover, sleepovers with certain german kids and certain cool kids, multiple all nighters (none for school reasons), disappointments, surprises, good food, cafeteria food, first camping trip, first time to NH and VT, first time playing in an ultimate frisbee tournament, 2nd and 3rd time playing in an ultimate frisbee tournament, first time joining a humanitarian organization, becoming a film snob, french movies, hitchcock, new england snow, new england dougnuts, new england cider, new england beauty, starting a quidditch team, meeting new people, forgetting old ones, reconnections, awkwardness, pretentious people, dealing with pretentious people, dealing with procrastinators, being "motherly" (what a crazy kid), staying up too late, dancing dancing dancing, first dance show, first time liking grilled cheese, appreciating home, appreciating warmth, building my cold tolerance (10 degrees? nbd.), loving and hating, growing up, staying the same.