Think back to your childhood, do you remember the last time you saw the world through innocent eyes and perceived your surroundings with a pure state of mind? do you remember? it's that kind of retrospection that sobers your consciousness. Everytime you bring yourself back to "back in the days", a part of you wishes you were that small again.
When I was a small child, a little girl, I didn't cling to my parents or attach a barbie doll to my hip. Instead, at 2 years old, I was (and still am) into 80's music, rice and soy sauce were my preferred noontime meal, and I could play with the zipper of my purple hoodie for hours. It didn't take much to amuse me and I'm not that much different now.
I grew up as the classic tomboy. I don't have any knowledge of what type of hairstyle is preferred by most 3 year old girls or what to do when Barbie is half-naked. How do you explain this to a little girl? (And do not get me started on Ken or the new boyfriend.)
But if I ever came across the idea of having my own little girl to torture with pigtails and pink fluffly outfits, I'd want her to be like Juanina Ariff Muhamed . She belongs to Anh-Marie and Ariff Boubakir Muhamed a.k.a. Eddie, family friends (pseudo family).
Juanina is the dopest 2.5 year old I've ever met. She's 3/4 Vietnamese and 1/4 Mexican. Her father lived in Saudi Arabia for 16 years (hence the name). She knows how to crack jokes for her own amusement and She takes after Dora the Explorer, who I've crowned as the anti-Barbie. Her charm is one of her best qualities; her curiosity will take you back to "back in the days".
The most rewarding fact about being a grown-up is that you can watch someone else grow up.
I've been working as a docent for more than two months at the Museum of Tolerance. Honestly, it's been insanely rewarding.
My
first tour was a learning curve; not all teachers are mentors. My first
group's teacher has been changed by the bureaucracy of the system. She
lacks passion in her voice. You can tell by the way she acts, she
thinks she superior to the students. Her demeanor and bad attitude
urked me substantially. It almost killed my first time but it's also a
mixed blessing. Even if i stumbled on my words, failed to use correct
grammar and echoed nervousness, I'm still acting as a educator with a
voice. It makes sense to be a docent.
Teach Me, Piute My
2nd group really should have been my first one. The students at Piute
Middle School are awesome, off the hook...(use all the words you can
think of because they are all of them). The following statements made
by 7th & 8th graders...
"the text books don't really tell
you everything that went on in history, they only tell you the good
things or they don't go into detail"
"We're not little kids anymore, so they don't have to sugarcoat everything"
Young
people are thoughtful and they can engage in meaningful discussions.
There was this little guy named Jonathan who's Brazilian, Guatemalan,
and German. He saw a group of 3rd graders walk by him and said, "Aren't
they too young to be here, I mean like, the images are too violent for
them. If i were them, I'd be scared". (the 3rd graders were actually
there for a separate exhibit). I found out later that he wrote in our
guest book, "I'm sad".
Everyday is a box of chocolates, I
never know what kind of group I'll get. And I hope that the students
continue to challenge. They inspire me to pursue the social changes
that need to take place.
You can say what you like...but nothing on TV resonates with me more than Grey's Anatomy.
We are reflected in each character with their complicated relationships, their quirky mannerisms, and their dark-and-twisty lives. Critics have said the storylines are overly exaggerated; infused with raging hormones, and redundant dialogue. This is why they are called critics; positioned to experience television like predators.
I take mental notes from each episode because for some strange reason, everything that has happened in my life correlates with the show.
I've been struggling with what I call a huge loss, a wound to the heart, and the most grief felt...for as long as I can remember. Their faces remind me of the kinships I used to hold onto, like faith in a belief system. Now, they've become distant relatives, like the second cousins of your uncle's wife. As per usual, I kept trying...and trying...and trying because if I gave up, I would have been no better than the promises made half-full.
How to Save a Life: If you truly love them, the way you say you do, the way you proclaim to, the way you believe you do, let them go. In order to heal wounds, sometimes, you have to make a clean cut.
...and I smile because I know it's gon' be alright. It has been all right.
I am responsible for the progress of my communities I am accountable for the actions of our community I am one person inspired by many people, for these reasons I will never give in, give up, or let go of the struggle
Following the election results, I felt the students around me swallowed by hopelessness. I can't put into words how this made me feel at this very moment. It compelled me to speak to maintain our voice. I don't know what came over me but I stepped into the middle of the unity circle with a hope of uplifting the students...despite the outcome, there is success. I've seen volunteers hold their ground while being taunted because they were flyering with green T-shirts. I've experienced slander from a gentleman who accused us of being "Anti-Jew" in front of Powell Library while one of the opposing candidates remained silent. He claimed "Freedom of Speech" at the cost of slandering others. I walked side by side with a SF! volunteer, we stood straight up to him and this opposing candidate. "You are running for office, you need to be more polite..and do not call us anti-jew when we are clearly not." This opposing candidate lost. I ran into her following election results, later that night. She was intoxicated and shouted obscenity at Quan and I (we had our green SF! shirts on). We continued walking and did not react.
But the more non-reactionary we are, the more aggressive the attacks become. Enough is enough. In the face of the gentleman who broke into the unity circle and yelled "Fuck all of you", in light of the Bruins United mockery of SF!'s sacred chant, and in the spirit of the people who understand the real issues that our communities face, Bui production presents 'One Love'. Hope is not lost because it lives in us each and every day. We have to keep going, we have to keep moving, we have to keep working for the changes that need to take place.
Ever since my return from Vietnam, I've had this growing obsession with traveling. My reality, nowadays, is more like a kaleidoscope I use to see the possibilities of the world, a life that I almost let pass me by. Another second would have been as costly as a bullet to the heart.
I went through a cold withdrawal in November because I wished I had stayed longer in Haiphong; instead of hopping onto a plane back to a city that runs on a schedule and spending unwanted time hoping for something better later on. Los Angeles has been my home for as long as I can remember. I had a lot of downtime to explore L.A. and I became more infatuated with the random places that people don't know about, the cultural landmarks that we should know about and the social relevance of ethno-enclaves that we take for granted. In the last few months, I've explored Hollywood, Long Beach, Cerritos, Westminster, Costa Mesa, Diamond Bar, Burbank, Pasadena, San Gabriel Valley, San Pedro, and Santa Monica.
The best part about the desire to travel the world is that you can find the world within your desires. This is the reason behind my return to UCLA. In the month of April alone, I must have been exposed to 20 different cultures, a dozen of social justice issues, 10 student-organized events and 4 cultural shows. I've engaged in conversation with friends who are african-american, nigerian-american, pilipino-american, indian, hispanic, latino, irish-french-american, korean-american, japanese-american, hmong american, vietnamese-american, chinese-american, and the list goes on. This is what diversity feels like. This is what the college experience is supposed to be like. Your mind travels as far you allow it to go.
I owe Professor Van Leuven for this social lens or this kaleidoscope that I keep referring to; one of the life tools she so diligently prepares for all her students. I now spend Mondays and Wednesdays auditing her class on the sociology of deviant behavior. Tuesday and Wednesday evenings belong to my public relations courses. I'm still working on my art for the bigger picture.
As for the rest of this year, I am racing the clock to return to Vietnam. You can call me a globetrotter in training.
