Scary Family Vacation

With all the storms that have been coming through, I have been thinking back to when I was younger. Have I ever been in a tornado? Then I remembered one of the scariest family vacations that we were taking. Of all the vacations to write about, I would talk about one where I was completely scared during. Oh well, it’s really one of the most memorable trips that we undertook.

We lived in Michigan at the time, and for some reason, my parents thought it would be a good idea to take me, 4, and my brother, 9, on a road trip to visit our grandparents in Oklahoma. 18 hours in a car with two kids who fight all the time? Bad news.  And to top it all off, we were driving in storms. So, I only really remember the actual drive down to Oklahoma, and the rest of the trip… who knows how it went.

When we were on the road, driving and trying to beat the storm before it got too bad, there was a moment when the sky just went from the sun setting to completely dark and creepy colored. If I remember correctly, it seemed as though there was an orange-tint to it. We had the radio on and then of course the National Weather Alert came on saying that everyone needed to get off the roads immediately and find shelter. Being little, I was completely terrified when my parents started to sound worried when they pointed out the huge funnel cloud directly in front of us.

After that, I just remember us going to the closest hotel we could find and sitting in their lobby watching the news for any updates. I believe the tornado hit a few towns away, and I just recall being so afraid.  It’s funny because I can’t remember my birthday parties from when I was that young, or what TV shows I liked to watch, but I can remember some car ride. It’s strange how our memory is so vivid when we are terrified. 

The Happiest I Have Been (In a Long Time)

I have been out of town visiting my boyfriend since last Wednesday, and he has moved into a house with three of his fraternity brothers since the last time I saw him. It was an interesting weekend being around all these new people. One of the suggested blogging topics was about a time when you were especially happy. This weekend was probably the best weekend I have had in a long time. I’ve been extremely stressed out with school and my living situation that I just couldn’t handle being here any longer. I have been homesick and lonely, and I just needed to get out.

I had met one of the three roommates before, so I got to get to know all three of them very well. I loved being around all of them: they are so funny and carefree. Brandon, whom I have known for a while, is awesome. He and I became friends the last time I was down there, and we have tons of fun around each other. I had never hung out with Burnet and Cody before, but they ended up being just like Brandon and I are around each other. I was glad we all got along (and there was not much drama) because I did not need any more added stress to my life at the moment.

The whole weekend was absolutely amazing. I was visiting for Sigma Phi Epsilon’s Red Garter Formal, and at first, there were some issues with the planning committee and we were completely confused, but it ended up being extremely fun. The first night I got into town, we just hung out doing basically nothing. It was the most relaxing day I have had in such a long time. I got to play with Daniel’s puppy, Tex, and that’s basically all I did.

The next few nights were all apart of the formal. We were doing so many things, that there was no time to feel stressed out about anything. It was a much-needed “vacation”.  I met so many great friends, and I cannot wait to go back to visit them all again. Now that I am back at TCU, all I want to do is be done. It’s like I have this burden put back on me, and I can’t shake it. It’s not at all that I don’t like TCU (because I love it) but it is just the fact that I’m starting to get real burnt out of working and doing school stuff; I just want to be back home in Fresno with all of my friends and be able to not do anything all day long.

All I have to make it through is 4 days of finals, and then I will be done. Let the countdown begin…

The View from My Bedroom Window

Whenever I am at home, and I open my white-painted shutters (which I hate, by the way), I see a big beautiful palm tree that has finally passed up my window in height. I hate those shutters simply because they are such a pain compared to my last bedroom: which had curtains. I guess it really isn’t that much of a time-consumer, but I just hate opening those four separate shutters. Normally, my mom gets annoyed with me because sometimes—okay, most of the time—I just leave them closed all day.

Back to the view, up on the second floor my bedroom resides. I am in love with my palm tree. It is so huge and it just makes the world seem brighter to me. We have a little rolling hill in front of my house of freshly redone grass. (Seems like we have to fix our grass every other week due to the hot California sun killing it…) When the grass is green and the sun is shining, looking out my bedroom window makes me have a better day it seems like. I just love looking out and seeing the peacefulness of the world. The palm tree is just my favorite: it reminds me of where I am at—home. California is and will always be my home, and my palm tree reminds me of this.

Now, my dorm window… Not something I enjoy looking outside at. I look outside only to see sidewalk and road, and usually brown grass. There’s nothing pretty to look at, and it just makes me miss my bedroom back in Fresno. The sun never shines towards my window it seems: never enough sunshine. I love the sun and how bright it makes the world. Being in an 11x15 room all year with no sunlight makes me feel claustrophobic, and I just want to be back in my room. I think this is what has made me become so homesick this year. I miss my view from my bedroom window.

The thing is, at home, I don’t appreciate that view. I don’t open my white shutters with the paint peeled off from a poster that had been taped onto it, I don’t look outside to see the white petals falling off a tree, making it look like it’s snowing on a 115 degree day. It seems that now that I am gone, I miss it. It truly reminds me that you don’t know what you have until it is gone.

Cultural Differences!

Today, Gabriela and I met once again. She was extremely exhausted from her week of writing papers and doing speeches. Apparently for the Intensive English Program here at TCU, each student must present a speech every week, and they have papers due each Friday. This blew me away; I can’t imagine having to do a paper every week. She told me that it is much harder for her to do this than for an English native. She said she gets points knocked off for grammar and such, just because she doesn’t speak the same as an American would. She seemed pretty frustrated by this, and I felt her pain: when I was younger, writing essays were the worst, because I didn’t know all the grammar rules. I don’t know how she does it: speaking Spanish her whole life and then all of a sudden trying to speak and write English fluently—it is crazy! We decided to keep our meeting short and sweet so she could go back to her dorm and rest.

We went to Smoothie King together, and were talking for a while, and then some of her friends came in. They were two boys from Guatemala. When they saw her they came to her and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, and she kissed back (like it was straight out of a movie!). I will admit, I was a bit uncomfortable sitting there. I felt awkward because I didn’t know whether to introduce myself or let them go on their way. I decided the latter would be the least awkward. I actually didn’t realize that there were so many cultures that greet each other with a kiss on the cheek; I thought it was just a European thing. It’s funny how such a small gesture can make someone feel so uncomfortable, just because we are from a different culture.

As we were leaving, she saw my phone light up when I pressed for the time. She saw that the picture on the background was of a dog, and she said, “Is that a husky?!” She seemed excited and I told her that my boyfriend just got a puppy a few weeks ago and it is half husky/half wolf. She was a little freaked out by the whole wolf thing—believe me, I am too—but she told me that she had a husky back home that she loves dearly. She said she missed her dog so much, and I thought it was cool because they named her dog after a myth-type thing, and it basically means love. I have no idea how to pronounce it, and I won’t try to spell it, but you can just believe me on this one. It was cool to find something so simple to talk about that we both love: dogs! :) I had a great time meeting with Gabriela today!

The Sea Change

This story confused me a bit. I thought I understood what was going on. But then I realized the man told his girlfriend that he would “kill her”—not his girlfriend, but some other girl. This really threw me off. What could his girlfriend have done that would make him want to kill some other girl. Then I realized, and I was kind of disturbed. It’s not that I am homophobic, it was just that I would never in a million years have expected that to be a topic in Hemingway’s writing.

Homosexuality must have been a hugely controversial topic for him to write about at that time, because even now it is a hard topic to discuss publically. I personally was a little bit disturbed, just because it was so uncommon back then to discuss. I personally just really don’t enjoy discussing topics like that anyway.  However, I do like the writing style that Hemingway uses. He doesn’t just describe what happened, but instead he uses the character’s dialogue to convey whatever conflict they were going through. I feel that he has a much better way of describing the plot than other writers. I would rather hear the problem firsthand from the character it is happening to, rather than the third person narrator who has no part in the story.

I don’t think the girl should have apologized like she did. She kept saying she was so sorry that she did it, and that she really did love him; he wouldn’t even give her a chance to explain, he just told her to leave and she could explain when she comes running back to him. He, in my opinion, is just as bad as she is. He just ignored the situation, even when she was trying to explain herself. I personally dislike people that cannot acknowledge a problem. So I do not really blame her at all; I think that their relationship probably wasn’t strong before any of this happened. Another thing, I didn’t understand why the man at the end kept saying that he was a different man. Why, all of a sudden, after breaking off his relationship, did he think that he was such a different man? I was annoyed how he kept repeating it, like he was trying to reassure himself or something. I just really found myself getting angrier as I read more about him.  This was a very different story than what we have read. I enjoyed being able to have something different to read about!

Confusion!

I met with Gabriela again yesterday. This has been the first time that we have had a bigger miscommunication about where we were supposed to meet. I had never really experienced this confusion before. I had texted her, asking her if it was alright if we met at Union Grounds at one o’clock. She responded with: Sure! So I thought, Great, that works out perfectly. So at one o’clock I arrived at Union Grounds; however, I get a text that says: I’m in the entrance of the bluu. And then I was like, uh oh, she thought I meant Market Square. So I texted her about where I was, and she had told me she thought we were going to eat in the BLUU. Finally it all worked out and we met up for a little while.

After our little miscommunication, we got together and we talked about spring break. She had been out of town for a week before spring break, so she basically got an extra long break. Needless to say, I was jealous. She told me for the first week she went to Vale, Colorado to go skiing with her family. She said it was perfect weather: not too hot and not too cold. I wish I had been there. Man, I went to back to California and it was freezing: 40s-50s every day with a lot of rain. Ugh, I thought It’s Always Sunny in California… right?  Then we talked about her second spring break, where she went back with her family to Panama. So jealous. She said it was hot and perfect beach weather there. I miss that.

While we were sitting at Union Grounds, the Greek Week Kanstruction build was going on, and so we stopped talking for a little while to observe. She was very confused about what was happening and why they were doing this. I tried to tell her the Greek system was competing against each other in Olympic-type games and this was one of the events. She still didn’t get it, so I told her this one was representative of Hunger Week, and they were building constructions out of cans. She seemed to get it, and we moved on to the Greek system in general. She wondered if it was really true that about 80% of students at TCU are involved in Greek life. I told her that it was true, and she seemed to be amazed. Being a ESL student only, and not an actual student here, she cannot join Greek life just yet.

However, she did tell me that she was accepted into all of the schools that she has applied to for enrollment in the Fall. She said that there was one left that she was waiting to hear from: Georgetown. Her dad really wants her to go there, and she said a part of her was hoping she would get rejected, just because she knew she would have to go there if she got in. I can totally relate to that pressure that she feels from her father. It was very hard to ignore my parent’s wishes for me on where I should go to school.

I think Gabriela and I are becoming much more relaxed around each other, simply because everything we talk about seems much more laid back. Can’t wait to see her again!

Fathers and Sons

Ernest Hemingway. In my high school it seemed that I was the only one that liked him after reading The Old Man and the Sea. Everyone else said Hemingway was so boring. Now I agree. These stories we have been reading, although they are short, have been killer for me to be interested in (and get through). The short dialogue and non-necessary descriptions are really starting to get to me. “Fathers and Sons” was not as bad as the other ones we have been reading this past week, but it still will not going to be on my top reads list.

In this story I feel like we got to see a different side of Nick. Normally, he is very short and we don’t really get to see his feelings, except for the occasional cry. In “Fathers and Sons” he is very reflective, and he tends to show more of what he is thinking. First, they were driving along the roads, and while his son was sleeping he was thinking of how beautiful the town was, even though it wasn’t originally the town he called home. He actually seemed interested in something for once. Since we have started reading about Nick Adams, I always felt like he was distant to everything and everyone: like he really did not care about anything. This story seems to show that Nicholas has indeed grown up quite a bit since his days with Prudence.

When Nick begins reflecting on hunting and his father, it reveals another side to their relationship. In the other stories, Nick always seemed to be torn down by his father, or his dad would do something that was not ethical. It seemed like he didn’t really care about his dad that much. However, he starts thinking about his father, and how he was a great hunter: the best he had ever known. I think he actually was closer to his dad than he made it seem.

Now what really got me in this story that I was completely confused on was Billy and Trudy. Why did he bring that up and why did he tell of all the things they did together? I feel like that was a very random and awkward memory to put into this story that is supposedly all about fathers and their sons. I mean, I get that Billy was Nick’s hunting partner when they were younger, but why add in the part about Trudy? I don’t think it really added anything to the story.

I liked the way that Nick’s son asked him questions in the end. It seemed like a very real situation to me. He is just a curious little boy. However, the ending was a little tense for me. I don’t understand why Nick would not want to go take his son to the grave where his own father is buried. I just feel like that is something that should not even need to be asked about. But it took Nick quite some time to even say maybe. Overall, the story was not my favorite by any means, but it was better than the others that we have been reading. 

Vogue: February 15, 1922

     First and foremost, it amazes me… everything is SO CHEAP. There was an advertisement for “The Earl Sedan” (a new type of car in 1921) and the most expensive model was the regular Sedan for $1995; the cheapest being the Touring Car for $1285. The magazine Vogue itself only cost 35 cents per issue! A can of Campbell’s soup only cost 12 cents per can. A pearl necklace with diamond clasps: $100-$350. It is amazing; I wish everything were cheap like that nowadays. There was an article that was titled, “How I Prepared at Home to Earn $30 a Week as a Dressmaker”. 30 dollars a week? Really? That wouldn’t even be enough to go grocery shopping once in a week now. I find it funny how different everything was back then.

    I found it funny that Fresno, CA (my hometown) was listed on their store list for some of the clothes. Fresno is never on anything. The store that they listed literally just went out of business last year: Gottschalk. I can’t believe it has even been open that long. It’s crazy! There was a strange informational advertisement that I found in the magazine. It was advertising all different kinds of schools for children all over the United States. It was called Vogue’s School Directory. Then it reminded me of the church bulletin’s advertisements: they were all arranged in little boxes and it stated what the requirements for the schools were and where they were located.

     An article that piqued my interest was one titled “If Ladies Must Live, Ladies Must Learn”. For me, it was kind of offensive. It was basically saying that women are expected to not devote themselves to anything but the kitchen. I guess it was normal for back then, but I feel like women should still be offended by that…

     I guess in the 1920’s they still had not perfected on the art of adding pictures to magazines. I only saw a few black and white photocopied pictures in the articles. It’s interesting to see that everything is hand-drawn and it is not very realistic looking. Vogue seemed to also work as a newspaper in those days. There was a section for the society (of course it only included the eastern-most states) and it told of births, deaths, engagements, and weddings.  There was also an advertisement: “Reduce Your Flesh in Spots” with Dr. Walter’s rubber garments. It is said that it can reduce and shape parts of your body that you are unhappy with: for men or women.

     This issue of Vogue was interesting to read. Compared to the modern Vogue issues, this one doesn’t really have the same type of content. Yes, it does tell buyers where to find the clothes they advertise, but mostly it is just articles about pattern designs, and where to buy the booklet to make your own clothes. It is interesting to see how much this magazine has changed since 1922. It is crazy to see some of the clothes that they allowed themselves to wear in public (most are ridiculously ugly). I’m actually pretty interested in reading more of these; it is cool to find out what was going on back then. This was a great assignment! :)

Conversation Tres

Today Gabriela and I decided to catch up over smoothies at Smoothie King. We had both been busy visiting with our boyfriends this weekend, so we haven’t gotten to see each other in a while. I’m glad we got to catch up and just relax and talk. We really both seemed out of it today (I had just woken up from a 2 hour nap and she had just finished a long day of class), so we really didn’t have much to talk about today. It’s not that it was that awkward I-don’t-know-you silence; it was more of an I-am-too-tired-to-think silence. So I guess it was mostly pretty uneventful today, but we both seemed to enjoy each other’s company.

One thing I’ve noticed about Gabriela is that she always looks super cute when she comes to meet me. Today I felt bad because I was in a sweatshirt and shorts because I had literally woken up 15 minutes before I was supposed to meet her. She had the cutest shoes on; I definitely asked her where she got them. All of her outfits seem so put together and classy; I wish I could do that regularly! She probably thinks I do not care what I look like ever since I always seem to meet her on the days I get caught waking up at 7:30 AM for my 8 AM class… Oops.

Then we touched a little bit on what she wanted to do in school and which school she wanted to attend in the fall. She told me that she loves photography, but that she wanted to major in either advertising or marketing. I asked her, “What about graphic design?” and she told me that her father would never allow her to major in that. She said that in Panama, graphic designers have little to no work at all and she would never be able to make a living for herself there. She thinks its funny because they were the ones who wanted her to come to the United States for schooling, but they want her to work in Panama and not stay here in the US. She told me that Georgetown is where her dad wants to go, which we have talked about before, but this is the first time she had ever mentioned SMU. She said that they send out their decisions tomorrow—I told her TCU > SMU. (She pretty much agreed!)

We finally both decided we needed to go do some homework. She will be busy next week because her parents are coming into town, and want to go to Houston instead of just staying in Fort Worth. So, she told me she really needed to get ahead of her homework so she won’t be crazy busy whenever she gets back. I understand, because my parents have been here for a week now and I definitely have not had much time to do my work! I can’t wait for us to meet up again; I really enjoy getting to know Gabriela: she’s so sweet!

Finally... a Story I Understood

Sorry it's a little late, I forgot to actually post it after writing it! 

"The Man Who Was Almost a Man" by Richard Wright was probably my favorite story that we have read so far. The only reason being I could actually truly understand what was going on the whole time. All the other short stories and poems we have read, I just couldn’t get it to connect. I didn’t get the deep meanings that we were supposed to out of them, but this one was much easier for me to comprehend, and lucky for me, it was my lead respondent topic!

The story confused me a little bit at first glance, just because Dave called the fieldworkers that name we don’t use anymore, but then his mom called him one also. I thought she was just trying to insult him by calling him that name, but it turned out that they actually were an African American family. It took me a while to connect that but once I figured it out, it actually made the story a lot deeper than it would’ve been if it were just a white family.

I also enjoyed this story because it really sort of connects with all of us as teenagers. At some point or another in our life, we have all experienced that feeling of wanting our parents to back off and just let us have some power over our lives. I know I can connect with Dave Saunders (not that I wanted to buy a gun so I could scare people…) because when I was younger and my parents wouldn’t let me go do things without parental supervision, I was always so mad about it. Especially since my older brother always got to go out and do whatever. Once I got my car and license, it was like how Dave felt when he had that gun. He felt like he had power and people couldn’t look at him like a child anymore.

Another part that is connectable to my life is that Dave at the end runs from his problems: probably a very childish move, which is ironic because he keeps talking about how he wants to be a man and not be treated like a kid anymore. I always run from my problems, even though I tell my parents that I’m responsible and mature 24/7 and whatever else I think that I should be by now.  However, when it comes down to it, if there is a problem that I can’t handle (or don’t want to) I run to my mom to help me, or I just try to ignore the situation completely. It may be a childish move, but sometimes you have to run in order to move past it.

This story did take much longer to read—in order to get past the dialogue, I had to keep rereading sentences—but I really did enjoy it. It had more meaning, in my opinion, than most of the other pieces we have read in class. I’m glad Jenny and I ended up having to read this instead of “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck. Knowing I was presenting this to the class for discussion helped me focus and find the deeper meanings that were hidden in between the lines. Loved it!

Museum Trip

 

          For my birthday, my parents came into town to see me. So, I thought it would be perfect: we could take a family trip to the Museum of Modern Art since my dad loves doing that kind of stuff. Now, we all had different reactions to the whole experience. When driving up to the museum, the first thing you see is a giant copper-looking shapeless statue; it was just kind of a big cylinder statue. My first reaction was just to groan and roll my eyes. I’m obviously no modern art appreciator. Once we went inside and started walking around looking at the exhibits, I found myself liking few pieces. I felt distracted, and not really wanting to walk around inside when it was so beautiful outside. But, putting that aside, I did have some different reactions to the pieces.

           A piece that really stood out to me was in the first room when you walk in called “Book with Wings,” by Anselm Kiefer. I read that there were two versions that he made, one with wings that were drooping and the other in a triumphant position. In the Museum of Modern Art they had the triumphant version, and what I got out of the piece was that books make you soar—they help expand your mind. However, once reading the information, it was ironic because the wings in the statue are made of lead, which is a very heavy metal that would never be able to fly. This part confused me. Right after I was about to give modern art a chance, they had to throw that in there; I really had no idea what to make of the piece after that.

The self-portrait pieces that stuck out to me were the ones of Andy Worhol and Francis Bacon. Worhol’s piece was more just of his face in a neon green color, which I found my eyes attracted to that more than most of the pieces in the museum. He looked kind of crazed in his picture, and I don’t know whether he meant for it to be that way, or he really did just look like that, but I kind of liked the piece. I normally always like Worhol, but all I have seen of his is his pop art collections, I had never seen something like this from him before. As for Bacon’s, his really just freaked me out. He was in a crouching position and it was a little blurred on his face; what it reminded me of was some type of horror movie. I really actually thought this would be the male version of the psychotic lady in “The Yellow Wallpaper”; I really don’t know why, but that is just what I picture her looking like in my mind.

Then I saw many pieces where my first reaction was, “I could do that”; these are the types of art I expect to be in a modern art museum. Light Cloud, Dark Cloud by Mark Rothko was one in particular that I thought I could definitely paint. All it is are three strips of paint colors on a plain background. Hans Hofmann’s To Miz-Pax Vobiscum reminded me of Tetris: another modern art piece I would expect to see. I don’t find these pieces inspirational, deep, or whatever else people think that modern art is. However, one of these types of pieces I really did like; I thought I could definitely see myself putting it in my house. It was Adolph Gottlieb’s, Apaquogue. It was simple on the top, with three pretty-colored circles, and then it looked like graffiti on the bottom. It kind of seemed like an oxymoron. It was peaceful and serene on the top, and then it was a bunch of black swipes of paint on the bottom.

A really random piece of art that we came across was Untitled (L.A.) by Felix Gonzalez-Torres. It was a bunch of green candies that were wrapped in cellophane tossed on the floor in a giant bunch. The random part was that you could not take pictures of this piece of art, yet you could take candy from it and eat it. I was so confused by it; I thought the curator was lying when he said to take a piece.

As we went through the museum, I hate to admit it, but I did find more pieces that I enjoyed. I guess I really had this perception that all modern art had to be that random-shape/random-color type art. I liked Melissa Miller’s portrayal of Noah’s ark with her piece The Ark. My mom and I both really didn’t understand why it was classified as modern art, but I guess modern art is more than just shapes and colors. Some of the art pieces I liked that I would classify as modern art were Cities in Question (painted 1979) and Travel Agency (painted 1983). The first was just a bunch of colors that kind of blended together, but then there were certain big cities placed where they are in relation to a map and they all had their names with a question mark after. I thought that it was saying these big cities really can’t make a name for themselves, because their reputations have already been made by stereotypes. I mean I could be completely wrong, but that’s what I personally got out of it.  The latter painting was again colors that blended nicely, but on it was written, “This city would have a travel agency, but this city doesn’t travel.”  I just thought it was kind of funny and random.

Finally, my favorite piece in the whole museum (which I really would never have thought I would like something like this) was Hollywood (painted in 1984). It seemed to me that this painting was an irony. It was a very dark painting: only using black, browns, and greys really. Everyone always talks about Hollywood being so glamorous and amazing, but being from California, I have been to Hollywood a few times, and it is the furthest thing from amazing. It’s really a sketchy place. Hearing all these stereotypes just makes me laugh, because it really isn’t anything like they portray in movies. I feel like this painting really captured that.

Overall, the three of us weren't as amazed with these paintings as we are with other styles, but I found myself liking it more than I thought I would. I'm glad it was a mandatory assignment to visit the museum, because I never would have gone willingly. I think I have a tiny bit more of an appreciation for modern art, since I now know that it isn't just those Tetris-looking color block paintings. It actually has a lot more to it. Who would have known?

(I found it funny even their instructions were modern looking)
 

The Yellow Wallpaper

Okay, what? This story really just disturbed me. Especially the ending. I do not understand what was going on. I realized that this is more of just a journal-type story of this woman married to the physician, John. Now first of all, John seemed like a real jerk. She writes about how he is so loving and caring, but he tells her how the room downstairs doesn’t have enough room for two beds. I think married couples are mature enough to sleep in the same bed, John. While I was reading this story, I really just wanted to strangle John. He seems to me like one of those men that no woman should ever marry.

John basically tells his wife to stay in bed and not think too much and definitely not to write. He basically wants her to do the opposite of what she likes to do. Now what woman would ever want to live like this. I know I would never stand it. Granted, she was kind of crazed in her mind, but she should acknowledge the fact that he is psychotic as well. As her illness progresses, it seems as though John makes himself be around her less and less—he’s out working on long cases more often, and sometimes stays in town overnight. I feel bad for the woman; I mean she needs help, and the one person that should be there 24/7 to support her is making himself be gone all the time.

As the story goes on, the woman seems to slightly realize what John is doing. He is kind of just trying to suppress her and make her invisible to everyone else. As she actually starts to think for herself, she seems like she finds his “treatment” amusing to her. Now I don’t know whether or not she actually feels this way, or if she is just getting crazier and crazier, but I believe that she is starting to realize what a terrible person John is.

This story makes me feel bad for this woman; not only her, but also other—real—women that have to go through this kind of treatment from their husbands. This woman is really sick in the mind, and this husband (who is a doctor) is just letting it go like there is no problem. I hope this was not written as a personal experience, but if it was, I feel just sad for this writer.

Now the ending. This is where I got very creeped out, and just did not feel very comfortable. John faints; I think this is a sign that he has kind of lost his sense of power and control over her. She begins to creep over him; I have no idea what this could mean. And I just don’t like the adjective creep. It just is not okay. So, this was not a favorite read for me. It was intriguing, yes, but it was very eerie…

All Girls (and Boys) Are The Same!

Today Gabriela and I went with one of my friends and her roommate to Zoë’s Kitchen. When we had set up where we were going to meet, I had suggested dinner and she replied that she was starting a “strict diet”; spring break is coming up and I guess all girls really do think of the same things! We both laughed and agreed to go to Zoë’s since it is a healthy dinner option. When we got there, we ordered the same thing: chicken salad sandwich with pasta salad as our side.  The four of us sat down and got past the awkward introductions and the conversation immediately picked up once we brought up every girls’ favorite topic: boys, obviously.

Gabriela and I both are in long distance relationships, and we definitely found that we could easily vent to each other about them. She and I have experienced basically the same things in our relationships. Granted, her boyfriend is back in Panama and mine is in Lubbock at Texas Tech… so I guess she is in a longer long distance. She told me how she gets annoyed when he doesn’t text back or when he gets jealous that she is hanging out with other people; I guess no matter where you are from, boys are all the same! We laughed many times over how boys can be ridiculous and sometimes the relationships can be very frustrating, but we also agreed that they can be worth it. It is pretty crazy that we are so alike, coming from two completely different places.

She and I chatted about boys for most of the time, but we also got onto the topic of school. I asked her why she came to TCU: “My mom told me to”. I laughed at this, because it reminds me of my relationship with my mom. I listen to all of her advice… not like I’d admit that to her of course, but I do. She told me that in Panama, they have a different system for schooling. She actually just graduated from high school in November 2010. They do this and then normally they have nine months off before they go off to college in the fall of the next year. She told me this is why she is in the intensive English program here at TCU. Her mom told her she isn’t going to be “sitting around and sleeping until 3 everyday” for nine months. Her mom sounds just like mine. I’m supposed to get a job this summer so I am “not sitting around doing nothing”; it should be interesting since I’ve never actually had one before. Neither has Gabriela. We bonded over this silly fact about ourselves. We said we’d definitely rather be at home doing absolutely nothing.

After we had bonded over boys and jobs, we decided it was getting late and time to head back, because we actually might have school tomorrow. We laughed at how many snow days we have had, and admitted to each other that this past Monday we were both late to class. We were not ready to get up before noon after the six-day break from school. I have a feeling that every time Gabriela and I get together, we are going to find more and more things we have in common. I can’t wait to find out what those things are!

More Alike Than You'd Think

Today I met my conversation partner, Gabriela, for the first time. We had sent emails to each other and finally decided on meeting at Potbelly’s. We decided to meet outside in order to reduce the confusion on who we were. I got there and stood by the door, and a girl walked up and stood next to me, but didn’t speak. We both looked like we felt awkward, so we finally turned to each other and asked if we were each other’s conversation partner. Thankfully, it was her, and I didn’t just completely freak out some stranger. We laughed off the awkwardness and went inside.

First, we bonded on how cold it was. She is from Panama City, Panama and I am from Fresno, California: two places that do not do well in the cold. She told me how it is always hot there, and I laughed saying that everyone in Fresno is freaking out due to the 50 degree weather they are having right now. We both laughed about how people were falling left and right, and then we both shared an embarrassing secret. Whenever we fall (or something else embarrassing happens) and we are alone, we immediately get on our phones and text or call our best friend to tell them about it, so someone can laugh with you. We both seemed shocked that we did the same exact thing. That was really just the beginning of us finding out how alike we actually are.

Something that really amazed me was how similar we are, even from being from two completely different places. She was more of a tomboy: just like me. We both love playing sports and being active. We both have been skiing since a very young age, and we both are in love with anything that has to do with water. She told me that she likes to wakeboard, and I had told her how I am better at water skiing.

It is so weird to think that even though we both come from such different places, we do so much of the same activities. I guess I just never thought of people from different countries being able to do the same things as Americans. I kind of feel sheltered now; I don’t really understand why I would think that they were any different. Maybe it is because the only international experiences I have had is being out of the country a few times in hotels where no one speaks any English. I guess I just didn’t connect that they are just like us but just speak a different language. It’s really remarkable to think that we all have a lot more in common than we would ever think.

I can’t wait to meet with Gabriela again and learn more about her. I think we will actually become very good friends! :)