Okay, so it's reflection time. Partially because I have to write a reflection journal (yep one more journal) for my seminar class, and partially because it's good and healthy to reflect on different parts of one's life. I do it regularly, as you have read, I'm sure.
Reflections
On Washington D.C
So from my experience in D.C., most were positive. I loved being where everyone was, seeing all the dreadlocks, meeting two or three new people everyday, and learning about different perspectives. I was challenged and blessed with so many people in D.C. Some of these people were in my house, some were those that I worked with--but everyone was wonderful to spend time with and grow from. I have found a place for myself in the city. I can understand different things, I'm less likely to stereotype, and I'm less likely to worry. I think that after being in Brookland, and walking home from the Metro whether in the dark or in the day, being in and out of two high schools with very different perspectives almost everyday, and spending time with the youth of the city at Garrison Elementary school, I can be prepared for anything--less a language barrier, which I'm certain to be approaching in my time in NYC this summer. I'm looking forward to that. D.C. has made me realize issues that matter to me, and what justice I want to work for in my life--and be proactive about.
On working with Colman McCarthy
It's not like I went to bed early every night because I was looking forward to spending time with Colman, but I was looking forward to some aspect of my internship, because I went to it and learned something. The first thing I learned is that fame is relative. Not that Colman is famous, but there are many people who put those who are well known on pedestal and make them seem bigger than they really are. And Colman, well, he's just the feisty grandpa type, with some exceptions. It's not very often you find a grandpa that eats a vegan diet--most are known for coming to grandma's house for the good stuff. Colman also bikes just about everywhere. If I had to categorize him, he'd be a hippie that never quit 'hipping' with out the artificial stimulants that most hippies participated in. The truth is, hippies where almost after his time, and are definitely in the past now.. So I think he's just Colman McCarthy. I don't think there is another seventy-one year old like him.
Being in a consistent environment where I was always hearing ideas being argued and discussed with different sides at all times, and hearing about new issues every time I was located at my internship was really quite a burden at some points. There were days when I'd come home from work and be pissed off at the world, the American government, corporations, etc. But there were good solid people who reminded me that all governments have issues, as we are people, and that we can make a difference in our own government--we are lucky. Many other people all around the world have no say in what their government does. I was affected by the issues that were discussed--just hearing the beneficiaries and the people who were screwed over by many issues--with animal rights--the slaughterhouse workers, with the war--veterans with PTSD, with competition for jobs--people getting laid off.
Physically, I decided to go vegan--I was feeling the pull of guilt of eating dairy products because drinking milk promotes veal production, and I do not approve of that. I know that I wouldn't want to be stuck in a prison where I couldn't turn around, and living in my own poop, so why should I use products that advocate for that? I also watched Sweeney Todd with a good friend of mine, and was completely disgusted with the death in the movie, and though it was Hollywood, I couldn't get the gross pictures out of my head. I would rather not think about death that way, and seeing a hamburger or a chickent breast made me recognize that these were once living, breathing things. So I decided to not eat that anymore.
Morally, I was affected by the continual idea that there is a lot of injustice in the wars around the world, past and present, and it made me angry--about many things. Why wasn't I educated on the School of Americas in high school? Why doesn't the fact that America is allies with many dictatorships get talked about more often? Why haven't the land mines all over the world be taken care of already? How come I never knew that Bin Laden was Saudia Arabian, was an ally of the U.S, and warned the U.S that they would attack us if we didn't remove our military base from their country? Why doesn't the United States just change it's foreign policy and have the army do humanitarian things like the army in New Zealand?
It never ceases to amaze me how easy these things would be.
On living in the WCSC house
Ahh, where do I begin? So many good things happened! I got to know everyone in the house at different times! There were just enough people to spend a little time with everyone. Christa and I would go to CVS and to YES and buy food and things for the house, think about playing soccer and just talk about life! She also lent me her H crochet hook, and I've never been the same since! Once I figured out most of everyone's personalities, I could joke with them, and hope that they wouldn't think I was being serious. Jasmine and I had some great conversation--between talking frankly about feeling depressed, and her telling me to go to bed on time, we had some bonding time when we were sun bathing (although I never actually looked like I got any serious sun). Corrie and I had some good cookings days--we made ravioli and spontaneous lack of recipe meals that were still awesome. We went on car rides to the store and sang loudly in the car. She came with me to get my nose pierced. We had some good talking time between that one random trip to Harrisonburg and some other times that we were just driving all over D.C... Jessica and I beasted out some pretty fantastical music. Though it became less and less as the semester went on, we both had a good comradeship and we were quite hilarious together. Bry and I had some sets of jokes, Sanj and I would bake together and make crack coffee, Andrew and I had some good times walking to the metro those last few weeks. Fets and I--we were close--I nodded to him as he passed my room to go to his, and he'd nod back.. no really we were bffs. Lindsay and I went to volleyball together. We saw movies together. We went tangoing together. And all the walking and talking in between. As a house, we weren't completely dysfunctional. Everyone had different personalities and we got used to those. Even though in the end some of the grocery money was spent on honey buns, I still loved those guys. They did a great job. Though there were some interesting issues, like alcohol, and a little bit of senior apathy, I still felt like it was a good semester, and I grew in myself and in my friendships with others. I also got to know Emily, one of the directors. She and I went contradancing together, dumpster diving, I went to help serve food at the homeless outreach she worked for, we talked about out lives, we comtemplated going running, we gardened and moved compost and poop and made a flowerbed, I helped make salad and curried veggies at her dinner party, we played songs that we each had written --it was a blast and I had so much fun. This semester I knitted two blankets and started on a bag.
On deciding what I want to major in at EMU
I finally decided what I wanted to do with my college career. For so long, I thought that I was just going to get my liberal arts degree and graduate next year. But as I kept thinking about it--it felt insufficient for what I wanted to do for the world and just graduating to get the degree seemed silly and not right. So Social Work, something I had contemplated since I had been in the house with two Social Work seniors doing their practicums, became a thought once more. I discussed it with some wise souls that i lived with and they helped me see what it was that I really wanted to do. There was also a moment over spring break when I was at the Epp's house when I saw what could be done to help kids who are parents be good parents so that their kids, when they are old enough, make good decisions, and at least, if they do have kids, can be good parents as well. And I was driven by that. I want to give back. I have been so blessed by growing up in a good home and with parents who love me and care for me all the time. And it works with people, and it works with kids too!
On being hit on one million times
I learned that wearing my hair down has an effect on the male population. I learned how to weasel my way out of those conversations, to freak the creepers out ("what? You're only nineteen?!") how to strike back ("hey sweetheart, do you have a pen" "My name is Grace, and no I don't have a pen."). I know that walking with a guy can protect me from that most of the time, but there will be times when it won't ("She's got a butt"). I learned that there are guys out there who will find me attractive when I'm wearing no makeup, my glasses, my hair up, in sweatpants, a big T-shirt and a sports bra, and there is nothing I can do about it. So in conclusion, there is nothing I can do to make them stop. But I can be an intelligent woman in response, quick with my words, and not let them get to me. I will respond.
Overall, I love being in an urban setting. There's a lot that i like. And when I can take my retreats back to Wauseon or to Amishland Ohio, I am content with the silence as well. I guess there will be a time when I might have both in my life.
Showing posts with label Colman McCarthy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colman McCarthy. Show all posts
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Colman McCarthy, Connections, and Veganism
I had my second full day of high school. I guess this semester at these two high schools is going to have to suffice for all the time I skipped at Streetsboro High. I woke up at 5:45, and was out of the house at 6:30 and I ran to the Metro. There was a bit of a wait for the train to arrive, and I saw of the alert that said that trains would be delayed and that there was some type of accident between Twinbrook and Shady Grove, and I later found out that there was a fatal accident that two Metro workers were killed by the a piece of equipment falling of them. I feel for their families right now. I can imagine the holes in their hearts right now.
There were several delays on the way to Bethesda, but I expected, and I read my book on the way there, so I was fine, there was a man that was in the Metro that had a little impatient outburst when we stopped for the second minute delay. Once I got out of the Bethesda Station, I remembered where I was, sighting the McDonald's and walked quickly toward the way I knew the school would be. I got there on time, and Colman was right--they had some kind of homeroom first, so because I was a little late I still made it on time, and I waited in the office until Colman got there and then we walked to the first class--on the fourth floor! It was packed full--I sat on a stool behind Colman for the first class. One of his students from the previous semester's class had a free period and came and listened in.
Colman began his first class of the semester just the same as he did every time. He begins by asking the class if they like money, and then some outgoing or late student is addressed and tells him how much they like money--in this class, his name was Jordan, he was both late and outgoing, and he had to sit at the teacher's desk in the back of the room because there was nowhere else for him to sit. Then Colman takes out a $100 bill, and offers to give it to anyone who can identify and say a little bit about each person he names--there were six people that he named. He started out easy--Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Mike Tyson. Everyone gets into the game, and is excited about this $100 bill at this point. Then he stumps them.
"Who is Barbara Lee?"
"Who is Jeanette Rankin?"
"Who is (and I can't even remember her name)?"
And no one knows the answers to these because, as Colman states, "You are learning the men that break the peace, but not the women who makes the peace. It's not your fault, you weren't taught it."
He teaches his first class by telling students how they are peace illiterate, telling them the math that they have been taking since first grade will be useless, as they can't graduate from high school to be an Algebraist. "Let those who love Algebra take Algebra, but let the rest of us take what we want to take."
He sent the students out in the hall to count the doors in the hallway, and then when they came back in, he asked them why they did that. They replied, "Because you told us to."
"Why did you listen to me?"
"Because you are the teacher."
"That's right, because I have the power. I am the teacher. I want you to learn to question authorities. Ask me 'Why are we going into the halls and counting doors? What's the point of this?'"
Even though Colman is an anarchist, and tends to teach in slightly irrational ways that anyone on the board of Education would frown upon, I find that his teaching methods seem like they may be the only ways that students actually like to learn in. His class is discussion based, asking questions, and going off on tangents.
This is true with connections. Whenever someone walks into the classroom, they have to be careful, because they are about to be the discussion. Whiney, a student from a program at American University showed up about an hour after class started, and Colman had her introduce herself and talk about where she was from, which was California, and then Colman asked the class what four cities in California were.
Later, a guidance counselor walked in with a new student, and Colman started asking her questions. Where'd you go to school? What did you do before you got here? The main discussion when this happened was when Colman asked the class, "Does anyone not want to be here?"
A couple kids raised their hands (this was at Wilson), and also the newest addition to the class, and he said, "I'd rather be in my original class." Colman thanked him for his honesty, and then proceeded to ask other students in the class who raised their hands to see why they didn't want to be there. One girl, Natalie, said that she'd rather be somewhere helping animals, and then Colman told her to go, then--now--and go help with at some Animal Nursery.
The guidance counselor was still there, and Colman was asking her opinion on what students should do if they didn't want to learn the way the high school made them learn. She said that it is the case for a lot of students, and maybe they want to do something like learn to repair cars, but they don't have that option at Wilson. I decided to say what they options were at Streetsboro--it was then I realized that although this was a bigger school with more class options, we had more options for those who wriggle in their seats with boredom because they can't stand math. We had the option of going to the Maplewood Career Center, as well as Post Secondary, or remaining at the high school, and here they had no options. I could tell that no one else had these options and it made me sad that they didn't.
The counselor left eventually, but you could tell that she had a lot to say and enjoyed the conversation that she had with Colman. There was another man that wondered in named Mr. Chase, looking for Ludwin, who wasn't in school. Colman also asked him questions about what he was doing as a job and what he did in college, but this guy seemed rushed, as he was on his job, getting students who were present to sign off. But still the same, he was letting the students see that these people weren't just invisible people in the world. They have homes and jobs and were in the same situation as we are in now five-ten years ago.
Colman also spoke with the substitute teacher that was at Bethesda in the first period. It turns out this guy graduated from Harvard, and taught Lacrosse part-time at a local private school, and was looking to be an English teacher at that school. But he majored in the history of Government, and Arabic at Harvard. And he said that the people weren't as exciting with unique thoughts and ideas as he had hoped. He wrote a book, and gave me the URL--it's called www.tremblethedevil.com . I plan on reading it. The guy seemed legitimate, and hey, he went to Harvard.
Then Whitney, girl that stopped in and Natalie, the girl who wanted to go help animals, and also some other students in the class were talking about animal rights and what should we feel about that. There were some kids who were talking about how meat is important to eat and that you get nutrients that your body needs from it that you can't get anywhere else. It turns out Whitney is vegan, and she was talking about how she had cookbooks, and it makes it really easy to eat vegan. Natalie stopped eating meat at the beginning of the year, and someone asked Colman if he was vegetarian, and he said he was Vegan.
Some students always object to the idea of being manipulated into changing their diets, and so I was just listening and taking it all in.
Whitney said that meat and animal products are bad for your body, and I was curious about that--I looked it up, and it says that eating meat has some connection to heart disease and other things, and being vegan leads to a cruelty free lifestyle. So part of today I was trying to define what my opinion was on food. I've grown up on milk and dairy products, and I know that I wouldn't be able to eat vegan, but I was trying to figure out how I would eat, because I don't want to be cruel to animals. I have a hard time with animals getting hurt--in fact when I was in sixth or seventh grade, I read this article in a magazine about some kids who tortured a cat to death, and it killed me, and it made me really sad.
So in reference to my diet, I read in Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which was a great reminder, that cows need to be milked, or they are in pain, and chickens will lay eggs--it's inevitable. So why waste these things? So I'm all for drinking milk and eating eggs within reason. But within the case of animal cruelty, I know that some of these animals are tortured and kept in horribly small spaces, and I don't want to support that, but at the same time, if I get something out of the dumpster that has been tortured or encaged in small space, I would rather not waste their by-products than leave it there and declare that because these animals are cruelly treated that I refuse to eat their by-products. So I guess I want to eat vegan, aside things that are dumpster dove.
After work, I rode the bus home, ate soup and a muffin for lunch, and then bummed around on the internet before taking a nap. Now it looks like dinner's almost ready, and then we are going to volleyball, and I still have a journal to write for the seminar tomorrow.
There were several delays on the way to Bethesda, but I expected, and I read my book on the way there, so I was fine, there was a man that was in the Metro that had a little impatient outburst when we stopped for the second minute delay. Once I got out of the Bethesda Station, I remembered where I was, sighting the McDonald's and walked quickly toward the way I knew the school would be. I got there on time, and Colman was right--they had some kind of homeroom first, so because I was a little late I still made it on time, and I waited in the office until Colman got there and then we walked to the first class--on the fourth floor! It was packed full--I sat on a stool behind Colman for the first class. One of his students from the previous semester's class had a free period and came and listened in.
Colman began his first class of the semester just the same as he did every time. He begins by asking the class if they like money, and then some outgoing or late student is addressed and tells him how much they like money--in this class, his name was Jordan, he was both late and outgoing, and he had to sit at the teacher's desk in the back of the room because there was nowhere else for him to sit. Then Colman takes out a $100 bill, and offers to give it to anyone who can identify and say a little bit about each person he names--there were six people that he named. He started out easy--Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Mike Tyson. Everyone gets into the game, and is excited about this $100 bill at this point. Then he stumps them.
"Who is Barbara Lee?"
"Who is Jeanette Rankin?"
"Who is (and I can't even remember her name)?"
And no one knows the answers to these because, as Colman states, "You are learning the men that break the peace, but not the women who makes the peace. It's not your fault, you weren't taught it."
He teaches his first class by telling students how they are peace illiterate, telling them the math that they have been taking since first grade will be useless, as they can't graduate from high school to be an Algebraist. "Let those who love Algebra take Algebra, but let the rest of us take what we want to take."
He sent the students out in the hall to count the doors in the hallway, and then when they came back in, he asked them why they did that. They replied, "Because you told us to."
"Why did you listen to me?"
"Because you are the teacher."
"That's right, because I have the power. I am the teacher. I want you to learn to question authorities. Ask me 'Why are we going into the halls and counting doors? What's the point of this?'"
Even though Colman is an anarchist, and tends to teach in slightly irrational ways that anyone on the board of Education would frown upon, I find that his teaching methods seem like they may be the only ways that students actually like to learn in. His class is discussion based, asking questions, and going off on tangents.
This is true with connections. Whenever someone walks into the classroom, they have to be careful, because they are about to be the discussion. Whiney, a student from a program at American University showed up about an hour after class started, and Colman had her introduce herself and talk about where she was from, which was California, and then Colman asked the class what four cities in California were.
Later, a guidance counselor walked in with a new student, and Colman started asking her questions. Where'd you go to school? What did you do before you got here? The main discussion when this happened was when Colman asked the class, "Does anyone not want to be here?"
A couple kids raised their hands (this was at Wilson), and also the newest addition to the class, and he said, "I'd rather be in my original class." Colman thanked him for his honesty, and then proceeded to ask other students in the class who raised their hands to see why they didn't want to be there. One girl, Natalie, said that she'd rather be somewhere helping animals, and then Colman told her to go, then--now--and go help with at some Animal Nursery.
The guidance counselor was still there, and Colman was asking her opinion on what students should do if they didn't want to learn the way the high school made them learn. She said that it is the case for a lot of students, and maybe they want to do something like learn to repair cars, but they don't have that option at Wilson. I decided to say what they options were at Streetsboro--it was then I realized that although this was a bigger school with more class options, we had more options for those who wriggle in their seats with boredom because they can't stand math. We had the option of going to the Maplewood Career Center, as well as Post Secondary, or remaining at the high school, and here they had no options. I could tell that no one else had these options and it made me sad that they didn't.
The counselor left eventually, but you could tell that she had a lot to say and enjoyed the conversation that she had with Colman. There was another man that wondered in named Mr. Chase, looking for Ludwin, who wasn't in school. Colman also asked him questions about what he was doing as a job and what he did in college, but this guy seemed rushed, as he was on his job, getting students who were present to sign off. But still the same, he was letting the students see that these people weren't just invisible people in the world. They have homes and jobs and were in the same situation as we are in now five-ten years ago.
Colman also spoke with the substitute teacher that was at Bethesda in the first period. It turns out this guy graduated from Harvard, and taught Lacrosse part-time at a local private school, and was looking to be an English teacher at that school. But he majored in the history of Government, and Arabic at Harvard. And he said that the people weren't as exciting with unique thoughts and ideas as he had hoped. He wrote a book, and gave me the URL--it's called www.tremblethedevil.com . I plan on reading it. The guy seemed legitimate, and hey, he went to Harvard.
Then Whitney, girl that stopped in and Natalie, the girl who wanted to go help animals, and also some other students in the class were talking about animal rights and what should we feel about that. There were some kids who were talking about how meat is important to eat and that you get nutrients that your body needs from it that you can't get anywhere else. It turns out Whitney is vegan, and she was talking about how she had cookbooks, and it makes it really easy to eat vegan. Natalie stopped eating meat at the beginning of the year, and someone asked Colman if he was vegetarian, and he said he was Vegan.
Some students always object to the idea of being manipulated into changing their diets, and so I was just listening and taking it all in.
Whitney said that meat and animal products are bad for your body, and I was curious about that--I looked it up, and it says that eating meat has some connection to heart disease and other things, and being vegan leads to a cruelty free lifestyle. So part of today I was trying to define what my opinion was on food. I've grown up on milk and dairy products, and I know that I wouldn't be able to eat vegan, but I was trying to figure out how I would eat, because I don't want to be cruel to animals. I have a hard time with animals getting hurt--in fact when I was in sixth or seventh grade, I read this article in a magazine about some kids who tortured a cat to death, and it killed me, and it made me really sad.
So in reference to my diet, I read in Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which was a great reminder, that cows need to be milked, or they are in pain, and chickens will lay eggs--it's inevitable. So why waste these things? So I'm all for drinking milk and eating eggs within reason. But within the case of animal cruelty, I know that some of these animals are tortured and kept in horribly small spaces, and I don't want to support that, but at the same time, if I get something out of the dumpster that has been tortured or encaged in small space, I would rather not waste their by-products than leave it there and declare that because these animals are cruelly treated that I refuse to eat their by-products. So I guess I want to eat vegan, aside things that are dumpster dove.
After work, I rode the bus home, ate soup and a muffin for lunch, and then bummed around on the internet before taking a nap. Now it looks like dinner's almost ready, and then we are going to volleyball, and I still have a journal to write for the seminar tomorrow.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Day One. Of whatever I'm beginning.
In the event of spontaneous shopping for the first week of house living, the shoppers unknowingly (or perhaps knowingly) bought four bunches of celery. I just realized this. And also realized that, although we've already plowed through several bags of baby carrots, we've barely made it through one bunch of celery. So I guess I know what I'm going to be snacking on for the next few days.
I woke up at eight, like I have been for the past few days. Got ready like normal, wore a nice shirt and some jeans, and headed out the house toward the metro. As I was walking, I heard Marty's voice in my head, telling me to be open with my neighbors, and having an observation circle. So the entire, sunny, beautiful walk to the metro, I was seeing people and saying hello. Almost everyone says, "How are you?" with their "Good Morning," although it's rhetorical. I got one "Hey Beautiful." According to Corrie, who is working at the Rape and Crisis Center for Women, if it makes you feel good, it's not harrassment, but I do think that there is a line. Jasmine told me to introduce myself next time, be like, "It's Grace, but you were close!" and Jess told me to respond, "Hey Handsome." I've got a lot of tricks up my sleeve.
I got on the metro with no worry, and read "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral" until Tenleytown. It took a little longer than I expected (which I will remember for the future trips). Then I arrived, signed in, threw my coat and my bag through the security stuff, and got my name tag. Then I walked up the stairs and tried to locate room 207, and the first 207 I saw was an office, so I quickly resorted to asking an adult watching the hallways, and he pointed me in the right direction. Then I saw the class that I shadowed in earlier in the semester. Nobody really said anything to me, but I think they recognized me to a point. They had their school paper which they were reading, and I glanced through it, and enjoyed the articles--they were really well written. It was a better paper than Streetsboro's. And Streetsboro won awards.
The class didn't really do anything. They were ending their semester and so they did course evaluations, and then there were two girls that graduated but took a semester off came and spoke about their experiences during their time away from America. One girl went to India for three months and told about what she did there, learning yoga and mediation, going on a ten day trek on the Himalayas, and about the spicy food, and the sickness that the people she went with got. The irony is that she knows someone at EMU. They went to camp together.
The other girl talked about her experience in Peru with teaching English in a home for sexually assaulted teenagers and working at a Daycare which had no outside. It was good to hear her story and also to see that not everyone has their future planned out and are taking breaks from school.
Last night Lindsay reminded me that even though my internship is out of the box, there are still people who are going to want to hire me because I did an internship with Colman McCarthy. I'm happy with that thought, but I definitely want to be able to do things.
Because today was a shadowing experience, I wonder if the rest of the days are going to be like this. Maybe I can convince Colman to let me to a little teaching with some of the things that I am well-informed of, and see what these students think.
Today in class, while they were looking at the paper, there was a crossword puzzle with an answer that was Lady Gaga. One of the guys in the back row asked me what I thought of her, and I basically said that it was a love-hate relationship, I love the way she writes songs, and the originality and musicality, but I hate the costumes, and that her music is so sexual. Some of the guys were talking about how she was a hermaphrodite, which as far as I know is a rumor. I think she's a woman, just because she's bisexual doesn't mean she's a hermaphrodite. One of them asked me if I thought she was good looking, and I said that with out all the makeup and the costumes, I thought she was.
Anyway, it's really kind of awesome that even though we are in DC, there are still connections to people from EMU that I wouldn't expect, like Amanda, who went to India, knowing Amanda Grace from EMU. I rode the metro back, got to Brookland around 12:00, and walked back to the house with my observation circle expanding as I went. It's hilarious, but important at the same time. I can't be like a tourist who listens to their iPod everywhere and gets mugged because they weren't paying attention.
So Jess, Jas and I went running on the National mall. Which is your Capitol, Washington Monument, big lawn and pool (but not for swimming) area. Which is not a short distance. First, we ran to the Metro, at Jess' fast pace, which is not my fast pace. It is, in fact, my "bookin' it" pace. But I kept up pretty well to the Metro. We got off at Judiciary Square, which was about 3rd or 4th St NW, and ran to First, and started seeing recognizable things, like the Capitol, and so we ran to that. My pace was still a lot slower than the one that they chose, and I was realizing that not running over break was catching up with me, but I tried really hard to keep a pace that wasn't too far behind them, and not stop and walk for too long, or too many times. But inevitably, I was feeling exhausted, and my lungs were not very happy with me (and still aren't, I'm coughing up the gunk that has been building up from my lack of running days again), I told them I wanted to find a Metro to go back to the house. So Jess and Jas decided that we should run me to the Metro. Still at their pace, but I didn't stop to walk at all this time (there were just a lot of intersections that we had to wait to cross :). ) We found one--an Orange Line Smithsonian, and I was on my way. It was easy to find my way from there, but I felt a bit inadequate in a crowded car being sweaty, redfaced, and alone. When I got off at Brookland, I accidently stepped on someone's foot when I was leaning back to let another man pass through, and he rudely retorted, "Excuse you." Not my favorite D.C. resident. But maybe we'll someday be best friends. Ha. Ha. I was chilly so I ran back to the house from the Metro, at Grace fast pace, and stopped when I wanted to (right before I crossed the road to the house, but who is counting?). I told Sanjay when he let me in, and asked how my run was that I need to run more, and I know I'm not used to the hills and the sidewalks of D.C., but I also said that I need to run more. Corrie, our own Cross-Country champ, is training for a marathon at some point this spring, and likes to sprint up hills, and at the end of a run. Me, though, I run for fun, and I wasn't having any fun on the mall today, I just kept thinking about how I couldn't do it, and how out of shape my lungs were. Oh how I miss running with Ellie on the track at EMU at our own pace. It was so great to be able to get together with her over break though, even though we didn't run, we went to the zoo, which was a blastus.
So as probably only two people know, aka my parents, I have a Splenda addiction. Ever since I discovered it's awesome calorielessness when I started Weight-Watchers in 7th grade, I've been including it into my daily life--diet pop, no sugar added ice cream, in various recipes that I like to make, in my morning oatmeal, in my homemade hot chocolate--you know the drill. But partially because I'm trying to save money, and partially because I forgot it in the hurry of leaving for EMU last Friday, I decided to quit using it. Spending money on soft drinks is completely pointless, especially if there are wholesome beverages like milk, tea, coffee, juice (which for some reason I still shy away from even though the kind we have is 100% juice pulp included), and of course, water! (and most of these are free when you have a house budget that includes them!). So I'm quitting diet soda. (Yay me! I'm being mature and finding a balance with my drinking problems!) Nobody except Bryan (which is fine for Bryan) drinks it anyway, and he walks to the gas station for it. And I'm still having oatmeal in the morning, but sweetening it with fruit (when it's around, we eat fruit like it's the only thing in the house), and honey. And I had a cup of hot chocolate the first night we were here, but only a cup, 100% milk (sometimes I just use water for less calories... I have problems), with a tablespoon of cocoa powder, and a teaspoon of sugar was tasty enough. So today, I decided that I wanted to make a coffee frappiccino. Fail. I cheaply added only two teaspoons of sugar to it, a half cup of whole milk (The 1% was in the back of the fridge), four ice cubes, and like twelve ounces of coffee that was left in the pot from this morning (again, I'm not going to let someone pour it down the drain tomorrow when they make coffee in the morning.) The milk fluffed pretty well, but it was pretty un-frappiccino-like, and bitter to boot. But I still drank it. Because I'm stubborn, and I think that that much sugar should suffice. Obviously I'm not willing to put sugar into my body. My problem is that I know that if we had Splenda in the house, I would use it, and use it a lot. And I don't have a problem with drinking diet soda if I have the option. Zach has consistently tried to convince me that the artificial sweeteners can cause seizures and cancer, and other bad things, but of course I think I'm invincible and can't be beat... But I think that honey is better for you than cane sugar. And since I'm on this vegetarian kick maybe I'll just be healthy and cool.
But I think that the yogurt I included in my lunch had aspartame... like I said, if there's an option, I'll take it. I'll get better.
Lindsay and Andrew came back from registration at UDC with stories of issues and waiting forEVER for admitting and registering for classes. Talk about chaos. They gave them a pack of free stuff--with an expired calling card (which Lindsay would have given to me), some redeye reducer eyedrops, and condoms. So a discussion on whether EMU should have free condoms in the health center soon ensued.
The Vegetarian Chili and Cornbread for supper tonight, was AMAZING. We had it over rice. Ever done that? It made it even better! Never had it like that before.
We went to the Rec Center to play Volleyball with the locals tonight. I had a blast--and there were some people who came to play soccer afterward, and I asked them when their league would restart again--in March--so I have a chance to play! I'm really excited about that. Our volleyball games went well, despite my extreme suffering--I have the disease of overcompetitism... or over-aggression...
I have nothing to do tomorrow. Next week's internship work is Monday and Wednesday--almost nothing because the high schools are between semesters.
I woke up at eight, like I have been for the past few days. Got ready like normal, wore a nice shirt and some jeans, and headed out the house toward the metro. As I was walking, I heard Marty's voice in my head, telling me to be open with my neighbors, and having an observation circle. So the entire, sunny, beautiful walk to the metro, I was seeing people and saying hello. Almost everyone says, "How are you?" with their "Good Morning," although it's rhetorical. I got one "Hey Beautiful." According to Corrie, who is working at the Rape and Crisis Center for Women, if it makes you feel good, it's not harrassment, but I do think that there is a line. Jasmine told me to introduce myself next time, be like, "It's Grace, but you were close!" and Jess told me to respond, "Hey Handsome." I've got a lot of tricks up my sleeve.
I got on the metro with no worry, and read "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral" until Tenleytown. It took a little longer than I expected (which I will remember for the future trips). Then I arrived, signed in, threw my coat and my bag through the security stuff, and got my name tag. Then I walked up the stairs and tried to locate room 207, and the first 207 I saw was an office, so I quickly resorted to asking an adult watching the hallways, and he pointed me in the right direction. Then I saw the class that I shadowed in earlier in the semester. Nobody really said anything to me, but I think they recognized me to a point. They had their school paper which they were reading, and I glanced through it, and enjoyed the articles--they were really well written. It was a better paper than Streetsboro's. And Streetsboro won awards.
The class didn't really do anything. They were ending their semester and so they did course evaluations, and then there were two girls that graduated but took a semester off came and spoke about their experiences during their time away from America. One girl went to India for three months and told about what she did there, learning yoga and mediation, going on a ten day trek on the Himalayas, and about the spicy food, and the sickness that the people she went with got. The irony is that she knows someone at EMU. They went to camp together.
The other girl talked about her experience in Peru with teaching English in a home for sexually assaulted teenagers and working at a Daycare which had no outside. It was good to hear her story and also to see that not everyone has their future planned out and are taking breaks from school.
Last night Lindsay reminded me that even though my internship is out of the box, there are still people who are going to want to hire me because I did an internship with Colman McCarthy. I'm happy with that thought, but I definitely want to be able to do things.
Because today was a shadowing experience, I wonder if the rest of the days are going to be like this. Maybe I can convince Colman to let me to a little teaching with some of the things that I am well-informed of, and see what these students think.
Today in class, while they were looking at the paper, there was a crossword puzzle with an answer that was Lady Gaga. One of the guys in the back row asked me what I thought of her, and I basically said that it was a love-hate relationship, I love the way she writes songs, and the originality and musicality, but I hate the costumes, and that her music is so sexual. Some of the guys were talking about how she was a hermaphrodite, which as far as I know is a rumor. I think she's a woman, just because she's bisexual doesn't mean she's a hermaphrodite. One of them asked me if I thought she was good looking, and I said that with out all the makeup and the costumes, I thought she was.
Anyway, it's really kind of awesome that even though we are in DC, there are still connections to people from EMU that I wouldn't expect, like Amanda, who went to India, knowing Amanda Grace from EMU. I rode the metro back, got to Brookland around 12:00, and walked back to the house with my observation circle expanding as I went. It's hilarious, but important at the same time. I can't be like a tourist who listens to their iPod everywhere and gets mugged because they weren't paying attention.
So Jess, Jas and I went running on the National mall. Which is your Capitol, Washington Monument, big lawn and pool (but not for swimming) area. Which is not a short distance. First, we ran to the Metro, at Jess' fast pace, which is not my fast pace. It is, in fact, my "bookin' it" pace. But I kept up pretty well to the Metro. We got off at Judiciary Square, which was about 3rd or 4th St NW, and ran to First, and started seeing recognizable things, like the Capitol, and so we ran to that. My pace was still a lot slower than the one that they chose, and I was realizing that not running over break was catching up with me, but I tried really hard to keep a pace that wasn't too far behind them, and not stop and walk for too long, or too many times. But inevitably, I was feeling exhausted, and my lungs were not very happy with me (and still aren't, I'm coughing up the gunk that has been building up from my lack of running days again), I told them I wanted to find a Metro to go back to the house. So Jess and Jas decided that we should run me to the Metro. Still at their pace, but I didn't stop to walk at all this time (there were just a lot of intersections that we had to wait to cross :). ) We found one--an Orange Line Smithsonian, and I was on my way. It was easy to find my way from there, but I felt a bit inadequate in a crowded car being sweaty, redfaced, and alone. When I got off at Brookland, I accidently stepped on someone's foot when I was leaning back to let another man pass through, and he rudely retorted, "Excuse you." Not my favorite D.C. resident. But maybe we'll someday be best friends. Ha. Ha. I was chilly so I ran back to the house from the Metro, at Grace fast pace, and stopped when I wanted to (right before I crossed the road to the house, but who is counting?). I told Sanjay when he let me in, and asked how my run was that I need to run more, and I know I'm not used to the hills and the sidewalks of D.C., but I also said that I need to run more. Corrie, our own Cross-Country champ, is training for a marathon at some point this spring, and likes to sprint up hills, and at the end of a run. Me, though, I run for fun, and I wasn't having any fun on the mall today, I just kept thinking about how I couldn't do it, and how out of shape my lungs were. Oh how I miss running with Ellie on the track at EMU at our own pace. It was so great to be able to get together with her over break though, even though we didn't run, we went to the zoo, which was a blastus.
So as probably only two people know, aka my parents, I have a Splenda addiction. Ever since I discovered it's awesome calorielessness when I started Weight-Watchers in 7th grade, I've been including it into my daily life--diet pop, no sugar added ice cream, in various recipes that I like to make, in my morning oatmeal, in my homemade hot chocolate--you know the drill. But partially because I'm trying to save money, and partially because I forgot it in the hurry of leaving for EMU last Friday, I decided to quit using it. Spending money on soft drinks is completely pointless, especially if there are wholesome beverages like milk, tea, coffee, juice (which for some reason I still shy away from even though the kind we have is 100% juice pulp included), and of course, water! (and most of these are free when you have a house budget that includes them!). So I'm quitting diet soda. (Yay me! I'm being mature and finding a balance with my drinking problems!) Nobody except Bryan (which is fine for Bryan) drinks it anyway, and he walks to the gas station for it. And I'm still having oatmeal in the morning, but sweetening it with fruit (when it's around, we eat fruit like it's the only thing in the house), and honey. And I had a cup of hot chocolate the first night we were here, but only a cup, 100% milk (sometimes I just use water for less calories... I have problems), with a tablespoon of cocoa powder, and a teaspoon of sugar was tasty enough. So today, I decided that I wanted to make a coffee frappiccino. Fail. I cheaply added only two teaspoons of sugar to it, a half cup of whole milk (The 1% was in the back of the fridge), four ice cubes, and like twelve ounces of coffee that was left in the pot from this morning (again, I'm not going to let someone pour it down the drain tomorrow when they make coffee in the morning.) The milk fluffed pretty well, but it was pretty un-frappiccino-like, and bitter to boot. But I still drank it. Because I'm stubborn, and I think that that much sugar should suffice. Obviously I'm not willing to put sugar into my body. My problem is that I know that if we had Splenda in the house, I would use it, and use it a lot. And I don't have a problem with drinking diet soda if I have the option. Zach has consistently tried to convince me that the artificial sweeteners can cause seizures and cancer, and other bad things, but of course I think I'm invincible and can't be beat... But I think that honey is better for you than cane sugar. And since I'm on this vegetarian kick maybe I'll just be healthy and cool.
But I think that the yogurt I included in my lunch had aspartame... like I said, if there's an option, I'll take it. I'll get better.
Lindsay and Andrew came back from registration at UDC with stories of issues and waiting forEVER for admitting and registering for classes. Talk about chaos. They gave them a pack of free stuff--with an expired calling card (which Lindsay would have given to me), some redeye reducer eyedrops, and condoms. So a discussion on whether EMU should have free condoms in the health center soon ensued.
The Vegetarian Chili and Cornbread for supper tonight, was AMAZING. We had it over rice. Ever done that? It made it even better! Never had it like that before.
We went to the Rec Center to play Volleyball with the locals tonight. I had a blast--and there were some people who came to play soccer afterward, and I asked them when their league would restart again--in March--so I have a chance to play! I'm really excited about that. Our volleyball games went well, despite my extreme suffering--I have the disease of overcompetitism... or over-aggression...
I have nothing to do tomorrow. Next week's internship work is Monday and Wednesday--almost nothing because the high schools are between semesters.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)