Vanderbilt=My Home?

There is one very important concept about religious faith and practice that I've come to realize today. Many religions are about how one practices their faith and not just what one believes about their faith. An exception to this would be Protestantism. Many Protestants believe if you believe in Jesus you're saved. Now, I sort of believe this, but I honestly feel that this concept is way too simple. When Jesus Christ was on this earth, he mostly wanted to spread and teach others about being a leader and caring for the poor. Sometimes, I feel that Christians forget this. This is why I believe your actions speak louder than your thoughts and beliefs to God. Yes, believing that Christ was your savior is essential, but Christians have to respect Jews and Muslims for how submissive they are to God and how charitable and peaceful they are in this world. Now, don't even say that not all Muslims are like this because of "terrorists". Like our Muslim feminist activist guest speaker, Remziya, said, I don't believe the people responsible for 9/11 were Muslim. No where in the Koran or in their beliefs does it say that one can murder another person.

Lately, I've been feeling a little home-sick, but this feeling isn't going to be anything compared to saying goodbye to all of my newly found friends here. It still amazes me how close you can become with others when you've only known them for a couple of weeks. Close bonds and making new friendships are never this easy in high school, and I honestly wish high school was just like VSA. It would be so much fun. And no homework, but instead, an intense 6 hours of class time? That's definitely a "plus".

I can definitely see myself living in a dorm like this, but most importantly, I can see myself living with and going to school with students like the VSA student body. These people are too sociable, too intellectual, too talented, and way too much fun for their own good. I just hope I can see them again. Well, one thing is for sure, if any of my VSA friends come to the Bay Area, or if I ever visit their areas, we're going to meet up and "hang out" with each other. Man, can VSA just last longer? Three weeks is nothing--just like how one week of college touring was nothing. Nothing good ever lasts long it seems.

Today the entire VSA went to the movies, and most of us watched the Dark Knight Rises. I was super excited for this, not just because I'm going with all my friends, but because I've waited four years--ever since 8th grade--for this movie to come to the big screen. Being in the theater, I forgot for a second that I was thousands of miles away from home and was in a Nashville movie theater. I felt like I was watching a movie in my town; so I guess I felt like I was home. It seems that I must be pretty comfortable in Nashville to forgot for a bit that I wasn't at Century 16 Hilltop (movie theater near my town). I don't want to give anything away about this movie, but let me just say that it was the best epic conclusion to a trilogy I've ever seen. I felt the biggest surge of energy leaving the theater, and watching Batman was definitely the best way possible to end my last Saturday at VSA.

This program is starting to make me realize how close I am to attending college. In just a few months, I will be done filling out those admission applications. I guess if I feel so much at home here, I should apply for Vanderbilt! Well, I think I'll know for sure by the end of this trip if I'm going to apply here or not. It seems I'll just leave it up to fate and my hard work to see what will happen in the next chapter of my life.

A Fun-Filled Saturday

Class on Saturdays is always very short. For one thing, we only have it for the morning, and it is much more relaxed than class on the weekdays. Since time was limited, we only finished up our lesson on marijuana. Before, all I knew about this drug was that it was bad, but I never knew why. Today though, I learned many of the negative effects this drug can cause. Although it is not nearly as horrible as Meth or Cocaine, it still has its faults. Like alcohol, it can impact your ability to function normally which makes it difficult for people to drive. Also, it can lead to permanent memory loss to anyone who uses marijuana before they finish puberty, which can be around the age of 16. One extraordinary thing I found out was that marijuana actually perfectly fits into our receptors in our brains perfectly. The details are a little sketchy since there hasn’t been enough research on it but its mind blowing how a natural plant product is essentially made for the receptors in our brains.

Today was also the time for S.O.F.T., one of my activities at VSA. Since we had a boatload of time (about 4 hours) I ultimately decided to hang out with a couple of my friends and explore the boundaries of 21^st Street. I spent most of that time looking into many of the cute, small shops around. In all honesty, I wanted to buy at least one thing in every store, however everything was just so dang expensive. Seriously, there is no way I am paying for a 70 dollar tank top – no way. Besides, I am saving as much as I can for the mall tomorrow; I really would like to buy another pair of jeans since the only ones I brought over here mysteriously ripped. I never even got to wear them. I am sure I will be able to find nice ones tomorrow though.

Anna gives Batman two thumbs up!

Once S.O.F.T. was over, I started to get ready for the movie outing. Yes, tonight was finally the night we went to go see The Dark Knight Rises. After several cool previews for upcoming movies, (which included a new Superman) my heart raced, excited for the film I have been dying to see for the past couple of weeks. Now, I don’t want to give any spoilers away so let me just say this: It. Was. Incredible. I really get into movies like these so I admit I was one of those people that get really emotional and tear up when one of ‘those’ scenes come up. In the end, I was really satisfied with how my day went today. I really couldn’t have asked for it to go any better.

Now that I think about, I can’t believe VSA is almost over. It saddens me to think about leaving my new friends, but there is still one week left, and I know it will be the best of them all.

The Dark Knight Rises

Katherine ( a good friend of mine here) and I. 

I was tired and my feet were bloody from running barefoot through the streets. Tears blurred my vision and fell from my cheeks. I needed water; I needed to stop running, but I knew if I did I would lose my life. I ran as fast as I could until I came to a little village, where I ran to the nearest house and banged on the window. 

" Please, someone, answer the door!" I begged, banging my tiny fists on the oak door. No one answered. I turned around to run, but came face to face with a man instead. No, man was not the right word to describe this...creature. It was a monster. It loomed over me, pale as the snow beneath me, with silver hair pulled back into a low ponytail behind its neck. It wore a long, black cloak that concealed most of its body and carried a sword in its hand. He looked at me with blood-thirsty eyes and a smirk that made my blood curl. He hissed as he closed in on me. He raised his sword, and the tip gleamed in the moonlight. Slowly, the sharp edge came closer to my neck. 

That's when I woke up panting, with sweat dripping down my face. I looked around my room, only to see an empty bed across from me, and a few desks cluttered with various paraphernalia. I planted my hand to my heart, feeling the fast pace of my heartbeat underneath the thin fabric of my sleeping shirt. Thank God my roommate had left early to work out at the gym. I had been immersed in my writing last night; I must have fallen asleep as I brainstormed more ideas for my second short mystery story. 

I lay there in bed for a while, inhaling and exhaling excessively to try and calm myself. When my heart resumed its normal pace, I jumped out of bed and grabbed my notebook. I jotted down what I remembered from my dreams, and shoved my notebook back into my backpack before hurrying to the bathroom to ready myself for the day. 

After breakfast, I went to class with the usual pack I travel with. We spent the entire two hours of class talking about metaphors in mystery writing and how useful they can be. Then, we spent an hour writing a horrible love song from Sherlock to Watson, Watson to Sherlock, or Moriarty to Watson. I was a very interesting and fun day. 

When class was over, we had about four hours of free time. I read in a room for a while until a friend of mine texted me asking to accompany him CVS to buy some things. I gathered our usually group and signed out to go to CVS with my friends, where we had a little adventure looking for a soap container. 

Finally, after dinner, all of VSA went to see The Dark Knight Rises. It was by far one of the best movies I have seen in a very long time. I must admit that I was slightly lost in some places because I have not seen the first one, and I saw the second one a long time ago so I forgot what happened. However, towards the middle of the film I was completely captivated in the plot. Everyone in the audience cheered with satisfaction when the movie ended. 

All in all it was a very jovial day. I had fun in class and outside of class. I can say with confidence that this summer camp at Vanderbilt is perhaps the best thing that has ever happened to me. I am thankful to the ILC for providing with the opportunity to participate in this program. My only regret is that I didn't do this last year. 

On our way to see The Dark Knight Rises. 

Expect The Unexpected

Today was relaxation Saturday. Sleeping in for an hour feels so good after all the endless weekdays. After a good breakfast I headed to class. We had a short lecture on marijuana, and I learned a lot about the health effects on your body. Marijuana has effects on your appetite, increases your heart rate, and you can suffer memory loss. If you smoke marijuana, it can be detected for the next 10 days due to its fat solubility. One interesting fact I learned was that it may affect fertility in adolescent boys. Additionally, not many die from marijuana, but 2000 people die of caffeine annually in the United States. We didn’t have time for a debate, but I’m glad that I learned more about this drug. We have finished two thirds of our Pharmacology class, and boy has my mind grown to new understandings. I used to know a tad about marijuana, but now I am fully aware of the controversy going on with it. Just being around many brilliant young people, it’s an amazing experience to share our thoughts with each other and it's great to be able to be exposed to different cultures.

Window shopping!

Rockin' those sunglasses!

The rest of this day was very laid-back. We had a SOFT afternoon; so some of my friends and I decided to check out the little shops near Vanderbilt. I enjoyed looking through all these antique shops and highly expensive, but cute clothing stores. Shopping is very tempting, especially if I see really pretty clothes. But, I need to save some money, because we’re going to the mall tomorrow!

                                                                  

                                                  

After a quick dinner, we all rushed to the buses to get to the movie theaters on time. A couple of miles down the road we hit the theaters to watch The Dark Knight Rises. To be honest, I didn't know the story line or anything, and I have forgotten what happened in the previous movies. I'm really not good with movies however, I still won't give out any spoilers, but I must say it was a really good movie! Expect the unexpected! 

At the movies!

Throughout my stay here at VSA, I have learned to become more independent. Just with the responsibility of getting to class on time, doing my laundry, being prompt to activities, and exploring Nashville with just my friends, I realized that being on your own isn't too bad at all. Although I am getting a little homesick, I am beginning to overcome it, and our packed schedule is keeping my mind off of it. Last week of VSA, here I come!

From Ramadan to a Pool Party

Today was definitely one of the best days at VSA for me. It was a non-stop, productive day.

Anna in her hijab

The first couple of hours of class was in preperation ourselves for our site visit to the Islamic Center of Nashville. We watched a short movie called Wam, Bam, Islam. It was basically about a man who wished to publish comic book hero magazines in the Muslim world. The controversy about this, however, was the fact that the comic series was called The 99; the "99" represents all the 99 characteristics of Allah (God) to Muslims. Muslims are very strict about saying anybody except for God is a divine being. This video made me learn that there are people for a change in the Muslim culture, and there are people who aren't. Whatever the case, The 99 is becoming more well-known around the world, and I hope it keeps growing for the childrens' sake. 

Me in my hijab

We also wrote a mini-reflection to help us more in preparation for our site visit to the mosque. I was feeling very curious and excited to see what was in store for me there. I knew it was going to be a very different experience for me, because I've never set foot in a mosque, nor have I ever seen one.

Outside the Islamic Center of Nashville

Well, my curiosity and excitement definitely did not go to waste. I'm not sure where to start about my visit there. To be honest, probably 3/4 of the service had me clueless on what was going on. Most of the service was in Arabic, and even the sermon wasn't fully in English, which made it a bit difficult to understand.

It was so interesting to have no seats and to take off one's shoes. I felt like I was in a Sikh temple--just smaller and more modest-looking. There was also something very different about who were and who weren't in the room. Only men were in my area of the mosque. One reason for this is so that the men don't get distracted, and I actually can understand that, because women can be pretty distracting--even if they're being so modest still in public.

But there was something odd I was feeling inside after the service. It's very hard to describe, but it's as if I felt really close to God. It was a great feeling, yet I felt weird but calm all at the same time. I just can't explain what I felt. I believe I felt this because of the communal prayers that they do after the sermon. I never prayed in such unison with so many others before--bowing, kneeling, standing, and etc. I felt this personal connection with God, yet I felt one with the community as well. There was also something about just being with males that made it a more powerful service, too. After experiencing an Islamic service, I'd like to define their way of praying as a mixture of Catholicism and Judaism. People pray individually, before and after mass in Catholic churches; people pray together aloud in Jewish services.

The best part, however, about our site visit was meeting Imam (the Muslim form of a pastor, rabbi, etc.) Mohamed. He's definitely one of the most friendliest people I've ever met. There's something about him that gives him so much charisma, and he is, by far, the "coolest" and friendliest religious leader I've ever met. I could tell he wanted to talk with us so much more, and he even asked if we should have dinner. Of course, we couldn't because we had things to do at VSA. He also mentioned something very interesting about prayer. Muslims believe praying and submitting yourself to God is talking to God, and reading the Koran is when God is talking to you. I found this to be an interesting concept.

The Lived Religion Class and a few of our helpful "presenters"

Today was also Arete Showcase! Since I visited the synagogue last week, I wasn't able to perform nor see the showcase, so I was very excited--and slightly nervous (a good nervous of course). I performed my stage combat scene, and it seemed that everyone really liked it and thought it was very "realistic". That made me happy, and I felt accomplished. The other classes' showcases were amazing too. I couldn't believe that the Glee class was able to make a whole music video in four days; I was impressed.

Oh, by the way, I ate a tasty dinner.

Good vibes and good food

Later in the evening, VSA held a pool party at the Recreation Center! I honestly thought it was going to be outside and earlier, but this was still very nice. I had a blast hanging and partying with all my lovely VSA friends. Sadly, the pouring rain and bright lightning brought the pool party to an earlier close (just 30 minutes). Still, it was alright, because I was pretty tired anyway, and I also had the chance to take a lot of pictures with my friends!

Alexa and Anna

Avery, Elizabeth, and Alexa

The One and Only, Will--my roommate

All the Chinese people at VSA--no, seriously

I'm making so many memories at VSA. I can't imagine myself saying goodbye to all my new friends in just a week. It seems that the good things always end so fast. Well, let's make it worthwhile!

A wet end to a bright day

Growing Everyday

I remember being in middle school, staring out the window at the fog covered hills with the rain pattering lightly on the glass. I would sit there at my desk, surrounded by scattered books and papers, with my hand planted on my forehead in frustration as I looked at the complex problem on my homework. Every now and then, I would give up and drink from my steaming glass of tea. I would feel a bizarre sense of relaxation come over me as the hot liquid voyaged down my throat. Suddenly, I would feel rejuvenated; it would give me the energy to go on and complete my assignments. 

For the past five years of my life, I have been repeating this process religiously. As a result, I became somewhat of a recluse because I was always so preoccupied with my books. I never had the opportunity to go out and socialize and discover who I was. The older I grew, the more socially awkward I became, therefore I never established a balanced work to play ratio; I always worked more than I played. However, all that has changed since I have come to Vanderbilt.

I am well-known here. Everyone here either knows me personally, or knows of me. I have many friends who genuinely enjoy my company, and I actually enjoy theirs as well. There is no secrecy or competition between anyone here, and everyone is so kind. I will almost always see a familiar face whenever I walk around campus. 

I have discovered that my ability to retain information in class has increased substantially. It is also much easier for me to pay attention than it was before. I accredit all these improvements to my demeanor; I am much happier now than I have ever been in my entire life. I feel as though I have finally achieved the freedom I have for so long yearned for. 

Today, for example, I was able to do so many things that were both educational and fun. I went to class and learned how to implement a locked room murder in my mystery story, I laughed until tears blurred my eyes with my friends, I preformed a standard fencing routine with Hannah at a showcase, and I went to a pool party. I have done so much ( and learned so much) in just a single day. I am learning new facts about religion, science, and other topics from my peers everyday, and I am growing everyday. 

Stranded In The Rec Center

We really do live in a strange world; a world where it is legal to smoke cigarettes that can kill you and not use other drugs like marijuana for medical uses. I am not completely pro marijuana - it has its faults, but I really do believe that the world is a corrupted place when the federal government lets you kill yourself with cigarettes but not allow marijuana to help cancer patients with the terrible symptoms of chemotherapy.

As you can tell, we discussed about controversial drugs like marijuana today. Marijuana has been a huge concern for our country since the 1930’s and has become a bigger problem ever since. For example, marijuana causes a lot of the amount of violence in the United States, and many people in prison are there for marijuana related reasons. Overall, there has been a long debate over legalizing marijuana, and what it could mean for our country as a whole. Personally, I am not sure what would happen if we did legalize it, but I think that if we keep doing what we are doing, it won’t help the situation at all.

After class, we all went to the Rotunda to have yet another Arête showcase. This also meant we had to show the glee video we made this week. I hadn’t seen the final product, so I was exceptionally nervous when our turn came around. To my relief, the music video turned out fine and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. All the other groups, including the Broadway Dance class was great and I thoroughly enjoyed their performance of one of my favorite songs from Chicago. The Improv group wasn’t too bad either. They all had to come up with crazy, spontaneous stories that made everyone giggle in their seats. This is definitely my favorite showcase so far.

Julia!

Once the showcase was over, it was time for the Luau at the Rec Center about 15-20 minutes away on foot. I wasn’t too excited since I wasn’t going to swim, but surprisingly, I still had a blast with my friends playing a beach ball game. After an hour or so, it started to rain, and we all went inside to hear what would happen.

Unfortunately, the swim time was cut short and we all were forced to go inside until the heavy downpour finished. I believe we were in there for a whole hour, just sitting around, which totally sucked. Regardless, I decided to make the best of it, and hung out with my friends until we were finally allowed to go back. The walk back wasn’t too bad, and went by in a flash. I have always wondered why it feels like it takes longer to go somewhere for the first time than to come back.

At the Luau

It's ok Hannah, we will leave soon...

Anyway, the minute we arrived back at the dorms (at 10:45) all the girls made a bee-line to the shower. Fortunately, I didn’t have to be a part of this chaos since I showered before we came and avoided the pool throughout the Luau. Although the night didn’t turn out exactly as planned, I am sure everyone had a great time. I am sure, tomorrow night will be even better since we are going to see The Dark Knight Rises in theatres tomorrow. Can’t wait!