Out of the Way

Blogging hasn't left my mind since June. June. Yes, June! (And for the record it's December) Ever since I wasn't able to blog as frequently this summer, I built up this anticipation and expectation that my first blog post after my summer hiatus had to be nothing other than epic. I had to have all these cool thoughts, stories, perspectives, ideas, opinions... yadda, yadda, yadda. Well, all I did was put this unreasonable and silly expectation on myself for no reason whatsoever. No one was doing it to me, just me doing it to myself.

Since June, I find myself thinking- "Oh that would be something cool to blog about. Or, I have something to say about this or that...." Why I never did blog about it, is beyond me. It goes back to that unnecessary pressure. Humph.

After having 2 conversations recently of me being asked about why I haven't blogged recently, I told myself I need to get over myself and do it. Here I am, at 2:19 am in the library, getting over myself, when I should be studying for my final exam tomorrow morning!!! (Anything to out off reality a little longer eh?)

So here's to me blogging about nothing really, just getting the first one out of the way so I can move on to other things. Hooray!
Whew, glad that's over with.

Random poem I've been liking recently:

The Five Freedoms

"To See and Hear

what is here,

instead of what should be,

was, or will be

To Say 

what one feels and thinks

instead of what one should

To Feel 

what one feels,

instead of what one ought

To Ask

for what one wants,

instead of always waiting

for permission

To Take Risks

in one's own behalf,

instead of choosing to be

only 'secure'

and not rocking the boat"

-Virginia Satir

Thanks for reading! Happy thoughts :)

It's good to be back :)

God wants me to be sleek? Say what?!??!!

As I was reading my regular news articles online and exploring I came across this very interesting article on the TIME website. It immediately caught my eye and I explored further what this was all about. I haven't decided what I think about it as a whole yet, but initially I had some thoughts that's for sure. I think many aspects and parts of the program philosophy are true.

The American population is very overweight- fact. 

Something needs to be done or our obesity numbers are going to continue to spike- fact. 

Unhealthy, inactive, bad diet lifestyles are hindering the opportunities we have to live a fuller life dedicated to ministry- fact.

This program called The Daniel Plan was created by Rick Warren. Name sound familiar? He is the author of the book that you see everywhere called The Purpose Driven Life. He created this program along with the counsel of 3 other people you may be familiar with; Dr. Mehmet Oz, Daniel Amen (psychiatrist) and Mark Hyman all of whom are of different faiths. The slogan of The Daniel Plan is "Glorifying God in the way we eat,  move and think!"

For me, this is personally the first time I have ever heard of a Christian based diet or lifestyle program that encompasses so much. Pastor Rick Warren's church called Saddleback Church, in California is doing this program and as a congregation has lost a lot of weight. 

The article does not list exactly where in the Book of Daniel this passage they use for the program is, so I looked it up and found it was conveniently in the first chapter. If you find any of this interesting I would encourage you to at least go read the first chapter of Daniel to understand where they are pulling this from. Specifically the verses mentioned are  Daniel 1: 8-17 ish. 

Here is the article-- titled: Blessed Are the Sleek? Why God Wants You to Be Thin.

You should take a look for sure. The link is below along with 2 videos that are related as well.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/31/blessed-are-the-sleek-why-god-wants-you-to-be-thin/?xid=newsletter-daily#ixzz1wlCuY8mO

Our society is one of the best at encouraging women to be comfortable in their own skin, to be happy with who they are and not feel like they have to strive for perfection. Our culture is also great with portraying women who are normal and have blemished skin, imperfect hair or other body parts. Another thing our culture and society is marvelous at is showing women with a figure and frame that is larger than a size 0, maybe 4.  [INSERT SARCASM HERE!!!] That was a huge joke. I think our society stinks at all the previously mentioned things. As someone who has dealt and currently deals with body image issues and body image as a whole, I find this program interesting. Struggling through our "lovely" societies obsession with looks, outward appearance as opposed to the heart, and its erroneous message that the outside is really what is important is something that has definitely affected me personally as well as many women close to me.  Throughout times of struggle in this matter I lean into what I know to be true through Christ and that I am beautifully made. Better yet, I am who I am and He knows every part of me and accepts me for exactly who I am. When the sometimes overwhelming screaming society begins to beat down on me physically, emotionally, and spiritually I have to turn to my Creator for truth. While it can be a struggle I am glad that deep down I do know the truth and that I do not have to be what society often tells me I have to be. One thing that hurts me to know though is that many people do not know this. Many women and girls are deeply and terribly affected by the message of perfection preached by advertising, the fashion industry and popular culture. That breaks my heart and I only wish those ladies knew their true worth and where their true identity lies. This program may be more on the extreme side, maybe it's not. I need to explore it further myself. One thing I have gathered though is that I like the part of the message it sends  ---> Live your life in a way that honors the One who made you. Be healthy, take care of the body you have here on earth, and glorify God with it. Exercise, eat healthy, and incorporate a community with you as you "diet" to help you do it in spiritually good way.


Let me know what you think if you feel so inclined. I am always happy to hear.


Thanks for reading my friends! Happy thoughts :)

Some Thoughts on Marriage

Processing new things can have an interesting impact on my thinking and exploration of these "new things" bring new insight that I appreciate. As I have been in London with my family and now studying, I have been experiencing so much. Unlike the previous times I have been over here, I feel I am more conscious and aware of things and checking my reaction to things.

Now going back to my previous blog about my cousin's wedding, and never have been to a civil ceremony I want to dig through what I noticed. Before going to the wedding I had talked to my Nana about how civil ceremonies can have absolutely no religious reference or affiliation at all. Or else it must be stopped and can not continue. Initially I was absolutely shocked by this and will admit that at first I was somewhat upset. My thoughts were how in the world could a wedding be stopped if something like this happened? That is a pretty drastic reaction. What about people who are consider themselves kind of religious? Where do same sex couple fit into to marriage in the UK? Many questions began to swim in my brain, let me tell you! After taking some time to think about it, I realized I needed to think more, and not have such an emotional response. Being a Christian and someone who receives my identity in my faith as opposed to worldly things, and a person who incorporates my faith into all areas of my life, I have honestly never thought about marriage outside of a religious context. As someone whose faith and my belief in God and Jesus Christ is the most important thing to me, I began to think about marriage outside of a religious context. Bare with me here... What I am saying is that I have never really stopped to think about marriage from a civil ceremony standpoint before. I am glad that my cousins beautiful and lovely wedding was the spark that ignited my mental flame.

So with my interest in their civil ceremony I hit the web and did some searching of my own. Here is the official info I got straight from the UK marriage website. Since I assume anyone who actually maybe possibly kinda reads or skims this is American like me, I will share my findings:

Check the website out for yourself @ ---> http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Registeringlifeevents/Marriagesandcivilpartnerships/DG_175715

OR here are some of the highlights I found:

Civil marriages and civil partnerships

A civil marriage ceremony or civil partnership can take place in any register office in England or Wales, or at any venue approved by the local authority.  These include stately homes and other prestigious buildings, hotels and restaurants.

You will first need to formally give notice of marriage or notice of civil partnership.

On the day of your marriage or civil partnership, you will need to bring at least two other people who can sign as witnesses.

A civil marriage ceremony cannot have any religious content, but you may be able to arrange for individual touches such as non-religious music and readings to be added to the legal wording, and for the ceremony to be videoed. The register office where you intend to marry will be able to tell you more about the options available.

A Civil Partnership is legally formed by the signing of the civil partnership schedule. Like a civil marriage, this is also non-religious, but couples who wish to arrange for a ceremony should discuss this with the registration officials.

Welsh speaking marriages and civil partnerships
You can marry or form a civil partnership in Welsh in any place in which the Welsh language is commonly used. Both yourselves, your witnesses and the person conducting the marriage should be able to understand what is being said. You don’t have to have given notice in Welsh.

Religious marriages

If you wish to be married in the Church of England or Church in Wales, speak to the vicar of the church in which you wish to marry. There is usually no need to involve your local register office.

If you wish to have a religious ceremony other than in the Church of England or Church in Wales, you should usually:

• first arrange to see the person in charge of marriages at the building
• normally live in the same district as the church or religious building
• give formal notice to the superintendent registrar at your local register office unless one of you is subject to immigration control

You will need to bring at least two other people who can sign as witnesses at your wedding.

Civil partnership

Same-sex couples can have their relationships legally recognised as 'civil partnerships'.

Civil partners must be treated the same as married couples on a wide range of legal matters, including:

• tax, including Inheritance Tax
• employment benefits
• most state and occupational pension benefits
• income-related benefits, tax credits and child support
• their duty to provide reasonable maintenance for their civil partner and any children of the family
• ability to apply for parental responsibility for their civil partner's child
• inheritance of tenancy agreements
• protection from domestic violence
• immigration and nationality purposes

If you want to learn more about a wedding in the Church of England here's the link for that---> http://www.yourchurchwedding.org/

Do I think marriage is supposed to be between a man and a woman? Yes I do. I think marriage is a covenant made by a man and woman before God.

Do I think the government should be able to control who gets married? Heterosexual, homosexual, transgendered, etc? No, I do not. The government should not be able to control such a thing.
Do I think benefit and health care policies should only be for a heterosexual couple? No, I don't. Again, the government should not be able to control such things.
I may not agree with gay marriage personally, but that does not mean I do not support, care and love people with different sexual preferences than me. Trust me, I crazy love many people with different sexual preferences than me. I believe we are called to love everyone. If society and people place so much concern and in my opinion "hot air" arguing about these issues, I feel like we just end up not loving people, same sex couples or people that are different than we are. Discrimination is a wicked thing. Loving people who you don't agree with can be hard at times, we all know this. But think about how lovely it would be if we did just that  ---> L. O. V. E.

As I listened to what was being said at my cousin's wedding they talked about love, commitment, respect, honor, care, celebration, and many other special things. All things I have heard included in every Christian wedding I have been to, yet this time no mention of God. No prayers, no hymns, no blessing from a pastor. While I did feel it was weird at first to have this government lady (registrar) announcing everything that was going on in such a legal way, I began to really try to focus on what was being said. But after thinking about it, a pastor does something similar talking about the covenant of marriage. I can't even express how lovely, wonderful, happy, enchanting and amazing their wedding was!!! Seriously, it was great, I can't say enough good things. I had the best time!

As a result of this wonderful experience and thinking about these things for a day shy of a full week, I gained so much personal confirmation. I was confirmed in what marriage means to me personally in a big way and what I want to be included in my marriage. This was MY personal realization, through MY observations, and MY heart searching, not because of anyone else. I know every person and every couple entering into marriage is different, but I am so appreciative to experience this different marriage. Even though it is in the future, I very much look forward to my marriage one day down the road. I am genuinely excited, not in some obsessive marriage crazy kind of way, but in its own sweet timing, kind of excited way. Marriage is beautiful and such a gift. I look forward to being a wife one day.

Here is a BEAUTIFUL video I came across awhile back. It is wonderful no matter what you think about marriage. Watch it. It's worth it!!     (The article is great too, but if you want to cut to the chase, the video is at the end)

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-story-of-ian-larissa

Always feel free to comment on a post! Thanks for reading! Happy thoughts :)   You are great!

Here and There

As I sit here in London at my homestay family's house and see the clock reads 12:47 am (my time) I am reminded how tired I am. But I have been feeling for a few days how I am in a blog withdrawal. I have been seeing and experiencing some great stuff and want to share. Writing in a journal just is not exactly the same. Since I have journeyed across the pond and my feet it the ground at Heathrow airport I feel like I haven't stopped moving. While I may be tired, I can not complain one bit. I love being active, I love to keep a move on, and more than anything I love spending time with family.

I have not been blogging as frequent as I would of liked, but now that I am settled that should change. I have been busy doing lots of things. Some of them included...
 --Spending some much needed time with Amber. And going into central London a the day. My favorite part of that excursion was travelling in with no agenda and seeing where the day took us. As we walked out the doors of  Waterloo Station, looked at each other and asked "Where to now?" My response few out of my mouth with a "Well, it looks like a lot of people are going this way (as I point down the road). Why don't we follow them?" Amber responds with a smile and off we go! We went all over, but my favorite part was our time in St. Margaret's Chapel which is a small chapel outside of Westminster Abbey followed by eating a a tavern called St. Stephen's Tavern directly across from the Abbey.

 -- Another enjoyable part of the first 10 days was going up to Potters Bar with Amber to her Auntie Pam and Uncle Al's house. I can honestly say they are two of the sweetest, loveliest people ever! I loved being with them and spending time with Amber and her family. We chatted a lot and talked about life, which was great. I said goodbye to Amber for the longest time we have ever been away from each other since we have become friends!!! Yikes! This was a big step for us. Haha. I look forward to meeting up with her again in Paris in July!

 -- I got to spend a good amount of time with my family and catching up. We had long dinners, talks on the deck, magic shows (or Uncle Ian making me feel absolutely clueless!), grocery store and errand outings, and relaxing. All of which was so good to do with the people I love dearly and do not get to see as often as I would like.

--Then there was a beautiful and enchanting wedding! Anthony and Michelle got married and became Mr. and Mrs. Osborne!!! It was such a beautiful day weather-wise accompanied with a day filled with joy, celebration, love, dancing, fireworks, and so much more. It was a fantastic day on many levels. One thing I want to note now and will talk about in a later blog is marriage ceremonies. First off, I have never been to a wedding in another country before. Secondly I have never been to a non-religious wedding. In England they call the civil ceremonies. I know their are civil marriages in America, but I have never heard of such a ceremony like the one Anthony and Michelle had. It was interesting and beautiful all in a way I had never experienced before. (I plan on exploring this further later)

--I moved out of living with my family and moved into my homestay family's house with my roommate Elizabeth. After looking forward to this Study Abroad Maymester (which basically takes place in all of June) for so long it was great to finally meet my homestay parents and start this new journey and new exploration of London like I have never experienced previously. My homestay parents are extremely kind, considerate and caring. They have treated us like their own family and have been welcoming, warm, inviting and sweet. It will be fun getting to know them as I get to live with them.

--I have begun to meet more of my classmates on a personal level and look forward to our excursions together and to get to know them deeper. Today we had fun during the day then this evening many of us went to the coolest pub I have ever seen, heard of, or been in!! It is about a 15 minute walk up a massive hill ,(the largest/ tallest natural place in London) past the Alexandra Palace, and through a park. Quite a lovely walk. The pub is called O'Neils and it is an old church that has been converted into a pub! Interesting... was my first thought. Elizabeth and I had heard about the place from our homestay parents, but I had no idea what to expect. Let me tell you it look exactly like some beautiful old church you would see in central London. It had a massive steeple, arch and very high ceilings, and upstairs, and great stained glass windows. I thought the place was great. I am going to definitely go back several times, take pictures and a video for sure.

It is an exciting and busy time to be in London! As Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee approaches this coming weekend (June 2-4th) and the country has a 2 day back holiday, it is England and Queen Elizabeth pride galore! Lots of parties and celebrations are starting and it will be crazy this coming weekend with endless festivities. I am looking forward to experiencing them. And the London Olympics and Para-Olympics will be here in the end of July so there is lots of preparation for that. Lots of buzz, hustle and bustle and tourists!

Here is an interesting article I found on TIME about 86 things you may not know about the Queen.  

86 Surprising Facts About Queen Elizabeth II. Check it out! I thought it was pretty cool. 

My favorites were #20 The Queen is the only person in Britain who can drive without a license or number plate on her state car. #42 Queen Elizabeth has 30 godchildren. (how does she keep them all straight?!) #81 She once demoted a footman for giving her corgis whiskey. (haha)

Well I am fading fast and will be up and running again soon. I will post again tomorrow (Wednesday) evening.

Thanks for reading! Happy thoughts :)

Dr. Pepper

Recently while watching TV with my brother and his girlfriend, a Dr. Pepper 10 commercial came on. To be honest, when I first saw it I thought it was funny. At the same time it did not sit well with me. After watching the commercial the three of us had a similar reaction of "Wow, really?!" I didn't know that Dr. Pepper has had this advertising style or similar group of commercials for a little while (I rarely watch TV, so this was all new to me).

Don't get me wrong, I realize stereotyping and what society deems as "typical gender role" commercials are everywhere. I was surprised at how many stereotypes this commercial was filled with. You should try to count them, how many do you find? I get what Dr. Pepper is trying to do here, make women frustrated and want to drink the drink even more. Also it gets people talking that's for sure.

I posted this video on my Facebook and some of my friends had interesting things to say. Hmmm.

Here's the commercial I am referring to...

Thanks for reading. Happy thoughts :)

Adventures Await, Awaiting the Adventures

Now that my semester has officially come to a close, I feel like I can wholeheartedly look forward to all that awaits ahead of me in the more immediate future. This summer has been dreamed, planned, discussed, talked about, prayed over and thought about a lot, and it hasn't even started yet. As my departure draws near, several things have been sticking with or randomly surprising me as I get ready to leave. I didn't expect some, and others are a more familiar feeling that's for sure. So as I get ready to leave Austin and head home for a few days I'm taking a moment to check where I'm at as I go.

• I'm really bad at goodbyes. As in I don't like them, I get all teary eyed and whatnot. I know this is a trait of mine and have learned to train myself to not say goodbye, but simply "Until next time"
• As I leave Austin and say goodbye to friends that are graduating and moving away, this has become more real to me. It is exciting to hear the places they are heading and the plans in these new destinations.
• With this excitement and sadness of parting ways for awhile I also begin to look forward to the next time I see them and hear all that has gone on with them.
• The thought of leaving a place I love so much for awhile makes me realize the things and people I will miss. As college has creeped by I have realized how important my community is to me, but it has started to mean something completely different when I think about leaving it for a but.
• Packing is a great time to de-clutter and simplify. Why have things I don't need or use? It's silly. Give them to people who need them and could use them. Note to self: I need to de-clutter more often.
• As much as I try to organize and plan things, nothing will always go according to planned. It's a fact, and for some reason I think it will be different. I have been reminded my plans are not always the best plans, and trusting in His plan for me is the only thing I need to be concerned about.
•  "Que sera sera, life goes on. Whatever's meant to be will always be. And baby what don't kill you will make you strong. Just love the journey that you're on. In all you do I'll pray for you"
            -Sara Evans, Pray For You (One of my favorite song lyrics)
• Spiritual planning and preparation is important. I have come to see this and have been experiencing the importance first hand more recently.
• Hakuna matata my friends, no worries.

So long for now Austin, homeward bound I go.

It's Only the Beginning

Classmates who I would like to call friends I want you all to know how wonderful it has been being able to live life and learn with you this past semester. This Social Justice class has become a community and and environment that I have enjoyed sharing with and learning with. It is always insightful to hear your thoughts and opinions and everyone brings so much to the table. I have loved getting to hear who you are and what your passions are. It excites me to think that all of you (many of you) want to be social workers. As cheesy or corny as this may sound, let's change the world. Seriously, we can do it!

Some of the highlights for me have been the discussions we have had all throughout the year. In those moments I feel like get a better glimpse inside your brain and you heart. The moments of rawness and vulnerability have allowed us as a class and a people group to get in touch with our own perceptions, beliefs, stereotypes, and thoughts. Thanks for being inspiring and people who share.

Some of my favorite topics this semester were:  (I mean let's be honest here, I loved them all!)
-Racism
-Sexism
-Classism
- The entire Zinn book. It was soooooo good.
- Exploring the world of Op-Eds
-Reading the articles and link Professor G sent us.

Blogging is something I never had any interest in, but now I like it a lot. Exploring your blogs and hearing a more personal reaction to the readings, discussions, and topics in class has been a joy. Sometimes when I read y'alls blogs I have those moments of "Wow, that was so profound" or "Huh, I never thought about it that way". Because of your ideas and openness I feel like my curiosity and intrigue has continued to increase. So thanks for that.

Professor G, you have been a lovely professor and mentor throughout this entire semester. Thank you for continuing to encourage us to invest in things and go deeper. Your nudging and gentle encouragement has meant a lot. I also have enjoyed hearing your perspective on things. You did it in a way that was open and honest, yet not forceful or scary. I have learned a lot through you! Thanks for your feedback and investment in all of. You're great!

In closing, I am not going to stop blogging. No way, no how. This class was only the beginning of a lot of things for me. This summer will be taking me all over and literally in many different directions. I can't wait and am excited to do these things and get to blog about them!!

Here are some random/ fun videos you should take a looksy at in celebration of being done!

Thanks for reading! Happy thoughts :)

TED Talks!

As classes have slowly but surely come to a close, many of my professors have shared some really great videos with us. Of course they have come from the awesome TED talks series, which I particularly am found of. I enjoyed them a lot, so I wanted to share them with you!

This one is called Nature. Beauty. Gratitude. I loved it!

This one is called How to Start a Movement. The key I got here is you need two!

 "The first follow is who transforms the lone nut into a leader." 

"Three is a crowd and a crowd is news."

Here is one about how art can change the world. Very interesting. My favorite part is the Israeli and Palestinian faces project.

Check them out! They are interesting!

Thanks for reading, or in this case watching. Happy thoughts :) 

My Groups Social Justice Project and the Elderly

With all these presentations starting and hearing about the work that other groups have done and the ideas people have had I have gotten this new sense of excitement. It is really cool and refreshing to see the things people come up with, have passions about and how they want to take things to the next level. Throughout this semester I have heard my professor, Professor G, tell our class multiple times that this class and the things we are learning aren't meant to stop here. She desires for our interests to be sparked and for us to be active and engaged in things. Continue to write Op-Eds, submit Op-Eds, volunteer, follow social justice issues and all the issues happening, do something about _________, I have enjoyed her encouragement and really hope that as we continue to grow as social workers we do these things. Social justice is not just a class. It is not just something you learn once and try to remember that one thing for some other class in the future. I am excited for what is to come.

As for my group and our social justice project, it has been interesting and a lot of fun for me. For over a year now I have had the opportunity to volunteer at Austin Groups for the Elderly, specifically the Elderhaven of Austin. This is a place where I have formed many friendships and bonds with not only the staff but many of the clients. The clients that come to Elderhaven are people who need some care during the day while their families, loved ones, caretakers or whoever can't be at home. For some reason or another they need an extra set of hands, eyes, ears, and some love. The clients at Elderhaven range in circumstance. Many have dementia or Alzheimer's, some have physical disabilities, others have other mental disabilities, among other stuff and some are fully able and just need some care during the day. One thing that has really stuck out to me is how much love and attention people desire and deserve. So often when I am there and sit down with someone or a small group of people and they start talking, they just want someone to listen to them. How I wish I could be that person for them all, but the reality is that I can't be, and never will be.

So when it came to social justice and population ideas these friends at Elderhaven and the elderly in general popped right into my mind. Tossing out the elderly as an idea happened, but I honestly did not expect for it to stick to be honest. I haven't found that much interest in the population within my fellow social work students. Not because they don't care, but there are so many interests people have. Somehow I was lucky enough to have my interest population have a group formed with it and off we went. Talking and brainstorming about the elderly and what specific issues were prevalent for them. My group members have been awesome and shared some great ideas. In the end though we settled with our idea and went with it. (I am going to leave you hanging, because I want to wait until we give our actual presentation next week... More to come later!)

One of the things we did that was especially fun for me was bringing my other group members to Elderhaven and having them meet many of the friends I have get to spend time with. It was fun to see them interacting and talking with them. While we did other project related stuff while we were there, them getting the opportunity to come and meet my Elderhaven friends meant a lot and I am glad they could do it! I am looking forward to sharing our project and for the class to know more about some of the people and people group that I care about so much!!

I want to share with you some personal pictures of some people near and dear to me, Here are some pictures of my grandparents. People that I love more than anything. They have taught me so much throughout my life. Even though some of them have passed away, I still feel and hear them talk to me very often. And this connection is one of the best feelings. I think that it is partially because of them and how much they have meant to me throughout my life that I have such an affinity for the elderly and older generations. I feel and think of wisdom, love, experience, stories, and strength when I think of my grandparents and the older generations.

My Nana and Papa taken when I was either very little or not born

My Grandy and I taken when I was in high school 

On a side note, people's projects have been awesome! Y'all are all so inspiring and hard workers. Great job class :)

I know I left a large part out of the blog about my exact project, but like I said that is all to come. So check back later my friends!

Thanks for reading and happy thoughts :)

Waste Land

This week I watched the Academy Award nominee documentary Waste Land. Going into watching this movie I was unaware of it's accolades until it showed several Sundance Film Festival awards as well as other film festival awards. Typically when I watch a documentary I go in skeptical because I have a tenancy to feel that they are over run with biases and not completely accurate information. So as this particular documentary started and saw the recognition it has earned, I changed my perception, but wanted to see what it was all about.

Waste land "follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world's largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro" (Waste Land). The documentary invites you into the world of Jardim Gramacho and gives you a look into the lives of some of the workers who spend almost every waking hour there. You quickly learn that this community isn't a group of garbage pickers, but that they are people who are working to earn a living and who care about the "trash" at Jardim Gramacho. The documentary introduces you to one of the visionaries and creators a special group of people at the garbage dumb. To get a better understanding of the issues and problems this documentary is portraying I have included a clip from the documentaries website...
  
"In 1995, Rio’s sanitation department began to rehabilitate the landfill and formalise the job of the catador, granting licenses to catadores as well as enforcing basic safety standards, like the banning of children from the landfill. They also began a pilot project to create a carbon negative power plant fuelled by urban solid waste. On their side, the catadores formed ACAMJG, the Association of Recycling Pickers of Jardim Gramacho, whose president, Tião Santos, is featured in WASTE LAND. ACAMJG lead the way in community development. Under Tião’s leadership, ACAMJG has created a decentralized system of recycling collection in neighboring municipalities; the creation of a recycling center, professional recognition of the catador, enabling catadores to be contracted for their services, the creation of a 24 hour medical clinic, and the construction of a daycare center and skills training center. In addition to their community initiatives, ACAMJG leads a national movement for greater professional recognition for the catador and support from the federal government and has teamed up with other movements across South America to hold the first international conference of catadores in São Paulo in November 2009."    (Waste Land)
  
One of the first things I thought of while watching this video was India. In 2010, I had the opportunity to go to India with an organization called Truthseekers International. They are a "Christ-Centered reconciliation movement committed to spiritual and social freedom for India's oppressed" (Truthseekers). While I want to write on and on about the wonderful ministry of Truthseekers, I will stick to the point of this post ---> TRASH. While  in India, I was blown away by the amount of trash and garbage that was scattered everywhere! When preparing for my time in India, I thought and "prepared" about the differences of the nation I was going to (as best as I could). Trash and the actual physical state of the land that I was going did not ever enter my mind. Upon arriving I was shocked at how dirty the land was because of all the trash, waste, litter, garbage, or whatever you want to call it. I just kept thinking to myself about the trash, and would be sad that their beautiful nation was overcome by such an amount of trash. There is so much beauty all around, but it had a tendency of being overlooked because of trash.

What else would/should I have expected though? In a nation comprised of over a billion people, there will be a lot of trash. A billion people have a lot of waste. Especially in a country such as India, where they are not focused on issues like trash when the are concerned with having enough basic and other important needs like food, water, shelter, raising a family, having a job. Trash isn't on a level of priority for them. 
  
My point in bringing this up is that I don't think about trash very often. I am a recycler and I try to reduce the amount of trash I produce, but in the grand scheme of things I don't think about trash globally ever, if at all very often. This documentary was uplifting to watch because we were able to see what can happen when Tião and others have a dream and fight for their dream until it becomes true. They went against the critics who said this vision of theirs would never happen, they went against their friends and family who went against their ideas for their community development and fought for what they believed in and wanted for their community. They have made an impact in thousands of lives and have shed a light on issues such as waste, the importance of recycling, the lives and conditions of trash pickers, among many other things. 


Take a look at Waste Land's website to find more about the documentary and read about the art created out of "waste and trash". There is power in this film and the people who took the time to share their life experiences with us. 

Please look at the Waste Land and Truthseekers websites and learn more! 
Waste Land website
Truthseekers International website

One of my favorite quotes from the movie:
 "I'd rather want everything and have nothing, than have everything and want nothing. Because at least when you want something your life has a meaning: it's worthwhile. From the moment you think you have everything, you have to search for meaning in other things. I spent half my life wanting everything and having nothing; and now I have everything and I don't want anything. These days I'm starting to see things in a simpler way; I don't have as much material ambition as I used to. When I was poor I only wanted material things: I just wanted to have things. I had to buy a lot of crap to get rid of that complex."                                 - Vik Muniz


Thanks for reading! Happy thoughts :)

Understanding Ableism

I think that the word disability is said and thrown around often in our society without much thought to exactly what it means. I know that for me personally, it wasn't until a certain point in my life that I began to have an understanding what disability meant. For this post I am going to explain what disability and ableism mean.


The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) considers a person disabled if she or he has a significant impairment that interferes with a major life function, such as walking, seeing, hearing, learning, speaking, breathing, care of one's self, sitting, standing, or lifting. The ADA covers both physical and mental impairments, such as mental retardation, hearing impairments, visual impairments, speech or language impairments, emotional disabilities, orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, attention deficit disorders, learning disabilities, depression, mental illness (such as bipolar or schizophrenia), and chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS, cancer,epilepsy, multiple disabilities. (U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1999 and Castaneda, Hopkins, and Peters, 2010).


Think about that, that list includes a lot of people in America and worldwide. And to be honest, quite possibly could include you in some way, or someone very close to you. It is important to understand the broadness of the word disability and the vast amount of people it includes. An interesting statistic I read in my textbook was that "well over 74% of all Americans live with invisible disabilities" (The Invisible Disabilities Advocate, 1997). Other interesting stats I looked up were:

• Between 1990 and 2000, the number of Americans with disabilities increased 25 percent, outpacing any other subgroup of the U.S. population.
• Disability rates vary geographically, as well (source: U.S. Census 2000):
• Nearly 40 percent of persons reporting a disability live in the South - twice the 20 percent of each of the other three geographic areas. Persons living in Alaska, Utah and Minnesota each reported the lowest rates of disability, about 15 percent. Persons living in West Virginia reported the highest rate of disability, at 24.4 percent, followed by Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi, each over 23 percent.
• Of the 49.7 million non-institutionalized individuals aged five and older who reported having a disability in the U.S. 2000 Census (source: U.S. Census 2000)
• 9.3 million reported having a sensory disability involving sight or hearing.
• 21.2 million reported having a disability that limits their ability to engage in basic physical activity such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting or carrying.
• 12.4 million reported having a physical, mental or emotional condition that makes it difficult to learn, remember or concentrate.
• 6.8 million reported a physical, mental or emotional condition that makes it difficult to dress, bathe or get around inside the home.
• 18.2 million reported their disability makes it difficult to venture outside the home.

• Noninstitutionalized adults 18 years and older (source: CDC website)

  • Number of adults with hearing trouble: 37.1 million
  • Percent of adults with hearing trouble: 16.2%
  • Number of adults with vision trouble: 21.5 million
  • Percent of adults with vision trouble: 9.4%
  • Number of adults unable (or very difficult) to walk a quarter mile: 16.7 million
  • Percent of adults unable (or very difficult) to walk a quarter mile: 7.3%
  • Number of adults with any physical functioning difficulty: 35.8 million
  • Percent of adults with any physical functioning difficulty:  15.6%

As you can see, this word disability includes a lot of people. More people than I ever realized that's for sure!
I was fortunate to have been exposed to some of the most sweet and caring people I have ever met from a very young age of about 5. These people I am referring to are all people with disabilities, and most of them are severe. My aunt has worked at a place called Midwest Special Services in St. Paul, Minnesota for 40 years. This is a place where the clients range in disability from down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, visually impaired, hearing impaired, as well as senior adults with disabilities. I would go and visit my aunt with my brother and spend time with the clients. To be honest, the first couple of years that I went, I would be uncomfortable and some of the clients particularly made me scared. They had unpredictable movements and would often times scream, and have more spastic movements which is something that as a 5 year old I had never experienced before. I would play very simple games with them, color, play with the ladies hair, and do a variety of activities. I grew to have personal relationships with several of the clients and looked forward to going back to visit. As time as gone on, many of the original clients that I met have passed away or moved permanently into a group home. But, every time I go up to Minnesota to see family I always make a stop at Midwest. There is something about seeing these precious clients and getting to spend just a short while with them that brings me joy and puts my own life into a different perspective.

In the summer of 2008, my church went on a mission trip Empire, Colorado to the Rocky Mountain Village Easter Seals Camp. Let me tell you, that was one of the most exhausting and memorable summers I have ever had!!! I often find myself remembering my time there and day dreaming about it. For the trip we were able to be camp counselors along side the residential summer counselors and got to work with kids from the age of around 16 and younger. We were assigned cabins and spent all day with our campers doing a range of awesome activities and adventures like swimming, fishing, overnight camping, outdoor cooking, travel camp, day trips, arts & crafts, sports and recreation, hiking, dances, music & drama, horse-back riding, and riding the zip-line. I would help with things like feeding the campers, changing them, spend quite time with them, give piggy back rides, and do anything and everything that they want to do. I had some of the kids tell me that they lived for the sole experience of coming to this camp. And when I say live, I literally mean LIVE for this camp. They spend a majority of their lives not being accepted for who they are, not having friends, and live being extremely limited by the things they are not able to do. This summer experience at Easter Seals was life changing, and I forever think about going back and being a counselor. Those kids and campers are some of the most fearless, boldest, happy, energetic kids I have had the opportunity to meet and I love them so much. 

Please take a look at this video and see a glimpse of what I was lucky enough to experience. 

I encourage you, to think about your interpretation of disabled and the people in your life who have a disability. I hope you love and respect them no less than you do someone who is fully able. 

Thanks for reading! Happy thoughts :)   

Dare to Believe

Boyce Avenue- Dare to Believe

Lyrics: 

It's feeling like the time's run out
But the hour glass just flipped itself over again
The sun is slowly sinking down
But on the other side a new day waits to begin

If you dare to believe in life
You might realize that there's no time for talking
Or to just wait around while the innocent die

No more
We're gonna lose everything
If we believe all the lies
I may fall but I swear that I'll help you believe
No more
This world's running on empty
And there's no reason why
You may fall but I know that you'll help me believe

We've been in the dark for way too long
But when we turn around
We see a light shine through the haze
So forget about who was wrong
Because I've never been more ready to turn this page

If you swear you believe in life
Embrace forgiveness
'Cuz it's all that I'm asking
Or keep holding out while the innocent die

No more
We're gonna lose everything
If we believe all the lies
I may fall but I swear that I'll help you believe
No more
This world's running on empty
And there's no reason why
You may fall but I know that you'll help me believe

No more
We're gonna lose everything
If we believe all the lies
I may fall but I swear that I'll help you believe
No more
This world's running on empty
And there's no reason why
You may fall but I know that you'll help me believe

No more
We're gonna lose everything
If we believe all the lies
You may fall but I swear that I'll help you believe
You may fall but I swear that I'll help you believe
I may fall but I swear that I'll help you believe

If you swear you believe in life
No more
We're gonna lose everything
Oh, I said no more
We're so quick to lose everything

My first Op-Ed piece: Title IX

Hello! So for one of my social justice assignments I had to write an op-ed article. Let me just tell you that I was rather intimidated and nervous. Having never done one before, I was not all that confident how it would end up. All in all I think it was okay for my first one. There is room for improvement for sure, but I wanted to share it with you anyway.  ALSO, keep in mind that I wrote about Title IX on my own accord way before the sexism/ feminist topic came up in class. I decided to post this because it just so happen to fit in well with other posts. (Especially because I am on my feminist kick at the moment...)

Women ≠Title IX, and I’m Sick of it!

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational programs or activity receiving federal financial assistance” (Valentin, 1997). Sounds pretty sweet, huh? If only those words were actually carried out properly. These words were not stated in law until gender inequality and gender discrimination against women was fought against with Title IX. Even though the rights, support and privileges given to women participating in sports has improved, thanks to Title IX, gender inequality and gender discrimination in sports is an issue that has been prevalent in the past and continues today. Through legislation like Title IX enacted in June 1972 as a part of the Education Amendments, females are supposed to be given the equal opportunities they rightfully deserve, but that is not necessarily happening in reality.

           

With the athletic environment being dominated by males, women are faced with a difficult challenge of receiving the same support, funding, and respect that their male counterparts are receiving. This was especially true before Title IX was enacted because there was no regulation on how schools spent money on athletics for men and women. The wording of the legislation states that it applies to “public or private preschool, elementary, or secondary school, or any institution of vocational, professional, or higher education” (9 U.S.C. § 1681, 1972) which gives women protection all throughout their sporting careers. With emphasis placed on the male participation and domination of sports, more money, attention, promotion, advertisement, prestige, and awareness all enhance these traits. Tuyckom, Scheerder, and Bracke, researchers on gender inequalities and discrimination, have said that the inequalities and discrimination will not be able to be overcome until “accompanying changes at the cultural, political, and societal levels” occur as well.

           

 The issue of gender inequality and discrimination in sports carries such significance and importance because it is a matter of equality for women regardless of the specific issue. Another importance is that the rights given to women under United States law are being properly honored. When equality is fought for and stressed in one area of life for women, it is then naturally carried into other areas of life. And through this desire for justice, a mentality for women to stand up for their rights and to encourage female equality becomes more accepted.

           

This particular issue is so important to me because as a female athlete I have lived and experienced this discrimination. I have felt less than a male athlete; just because I am a female and female athletics are not a good as males. I have been told I was less than, that I was not as athletic, that my sports were less interesting, and I was not as important as other male athletes of the same ability and skill simply because I am a woman.

         

Only some progress has been made, gender equality has not been achieved and there is even a decrease in female athletic provision. This is an issue that I do feel alone, but something many women and females experience all over. Even though Title IX is in place and an active piece of governing legislature, gender equality and discrimination is still occurring and very much an issue of today. Studies are showing that while growth has occurred since Title IX, trends are starting to show that progress in equality has slowed if not stopped completely.

One of many examples I have experienced in my life is throughout high school the obvious, blatant discrimination and difference between the baseball program and softball program. I was not aware of the specific language of the Title IX law and the protection it gives women; I simply knew that my high school was not right in the way it funded and accommodated the two teams. Why I did not question or ask my coaches and school administration why this was so? I do not know. Lack of knowledge or not feeling empowered enough? I’m not quite sure. Gender inequality and discrimination exists, and as a woman and an athlete I need to not allow it to continue, and should raise awareness. No matter what label society places on women and our quality of athletics we should not be neglected and given any less than what a male receives.

Stay tuned for more posts about sexism and gender inequality from some of the reading I have been doing...

Thanks for reading readers! Happy thoughts!