In Lauren Swanson's recent blog, "That's For Girls...," she discusses an incident that she had with one of her newly adopted little brothers, in which her brother Brian labeled a toy as one for girls. I can definitely relate to this topic because I was raised in the same type of household. I too experienced outside forces that led me in the trap that Brian has fall in.
When I was younger, I was so not into dolls. My little sister was but I was way too concerned with my Lego projects and playing basketball pick up games with the boys in my neighborhood. Once my mother took us to McDonald's for a fast meal. I was about 5 or 6. At that time, McDonald's was offering two type of toys: Hot Wheels and Barbies. My sister wanted the Barbie toy and I wanted the Hot Wheels, naturally. Mom pulled up to the drive thru and asked for two Happy Meals, one with a Barbie toy and one with a Hot Wheel toy. The woman running the drive thru asked what gender my mother's kids were. Mom refused to answer her question and requested the two different toys again. The drive thru employee continued to ask my mother for the genders of her children, much to my confusion and to my mother's annoyance. So my mother pulled around and chewed this woman out for her lack of customer service, for her attitude, and for her limited point of view. We didn't eat at McDonald's for long time after that. That woman also never got over that point and basically refused to serve us.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
I Love College...No, Really.
College is such a fabulous experience. You learn so much in such a short time and the knowledge you acquire is not just in your field of study but about people, about living, about the world, about yourself, and about life in general. I wish all people could experience college and could have access to the same opportunities I have had.
In college, you learn about all different types of people and what diversity really means. You learn about the struggles that others go through and how you never truly are alone, that there are others struggling just as much as you and sometimes more. You learn that the saying "If you throw everyone's problems in a pile, you would pick yours every time" is absolutely true and you appreciate friendship more than anything. You discover what friendship really means and you are taught, through trial and error, who your true friends are and who should be considered more acquaintances.
In college, you learn to live on a budget, and how to survive/not panic when your bank account balance drops below $10. You figure out how to jerry-rig everything when it breaks so that it looks like a mess but can still complete its original function. You learn how to do without. You learn how to pinch pennies so hard they scream and you also learn how to effortlessly throw money away on a good time with those pals of yours. You start asking for functional gifts for Christmas and birthdays, like socks. You also become a little amazed at your parents, that they are so functional, and their house looks decent 90% of the time, and that they know how to cook. You learn that having nothing but a cucumber and a case of beer in your fridge is normal. You learn how to survive.
You also become aware of the world, how big it is but also how small. You find out about opportunities to go abroad and it boggles your mind that access to other nations is available to you. And if you get the opportunity to study/go abroad and you take it, you discover how small you really are. You talk to international students and learn about the different cultures they come from. You talk to students in different parts of the US and learn about the differences between the regions of our country in customs, traditions, food, and mannerisms. You talk to people you were never supposed to associate with as a kid. You expand your horizons and point of view. You become more cultured.
In college, you also learn about yourself. You learn about what kind of a person you are, how much adversity you can take, how trustworthy you really are, how tough you can be, how venerable you can be, and how independent you can be. You spend the worst moments and the best moments around your peers and grow stronger for it but learn how to cry gracefully as well. You transition from being a kid to an adult somewhat, and then learn the important balance of both in life.
I am so grateful to have had this experience, especially at such a beautiful place. I look forward to the memories I will make in the remaining time of my experience at Witt and could not be more appreciative of the memories I have already made. College students are so lucky.
In college, you learn about all different types of people and what diversity really means. You learn about the struggles that others go through and how you never truly are alone, that there are others struggling just as much as you and sometimes more. You learn that the saying "If you throw everyone's problems in a pile, you would pick yours every time" is absolutely true and you appreciate friendship more than anything. You discover what friendship really means and you are taught, through trial and error, who your true friends are and who should be considered more acquaintances.
In college, you learn to live on a budget, and how to survive/not panic when your bank account balance drops below $10. You figure out how to jerry-rig everything when it breaks so that it looks like a mess but can still complete its original function. You learn how to do without. You learn how to pinch pennies so hard they scream and you also learn how to effortlessly throw money away on a good time with those pals of yours. You start asking for functional gifts for Christmas and birthdays, like socks. You also become a little amazed at your parents, that they are so functional, and their house looks decent 90% of the time, and that they know how to cook. You learn that having nothing but a cucumber and a case of beer in your fridge is normal. You learn how to survive.
You also become aware of the world, how big it is but also how small. You find out about opportunities to go abroad and it boggles your mind that access to other nations is available to you. And if you get the opportunity to study/go abroad and you take it, you discover how small you really are. You talk to international students and learn about the different cultures they come from. You talk to students in different parts of the US and learn about the differences between the regions of our country in customs, traditions, food, and mannerisms. You talk to people you were never supposed to associate with as a kid. You expand your horizons and point of view. You become more cultured.
In college, you also learn about yourself. You learn about what kind of a person you are, how much adversity you can take, how trustworthy you really are, how tough you can be, how venerable you can be, and how independent you can be. You spend the worst moments and the best moments around your peers and grow stronger for it but learn how to cry gracefully as well. You transition from being a kid to an adult somewhat, and then learn the important balance of both in life.
I am so grateful to have had this experience, especially at such a beautiful place. I look forward to the memories I will make in the remaining time of my experience at Witt and could not be more appreciative of the memories I have already made. College students are so lucky.
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