Be Who You Want: Conclusion

I think I was finally understanding. I need to live life to its fullest. I have so many opportunities in front of me that are unexpected. Although I do need to succeed in school, I need to enjoy the journey while getting to the destination brightly shining in my horizon.

Be Who You Want: Part II

One day during lunch as I was talking to M I learned that his family situation was not ideal. Being from the inner Chicago area, his mother struggled to put food on the table. His younger brother consistently failed school. He was now three years behind projected. This was all because of children making fun of him for his weight. Another day while riding the bus with M, he randomly told me that whatever I do and if I ever become poor, never move my family into the ghetto. Shocked by this remark, I asked him why? He simply said, "I learn from my experiences," implying that his mother currently moved their family into the ghetto. My heart melts and feels for people who are in these circumstances, but are capable of making so much of themselves. As I may have mentioned before we were in a select academic program. By overcoming such adversity in his life, M showed me that you are always capable of working harder than before.

 

M is a ballerina. He is not afraid that people will make fun of him for this hobby of his, because they already do. M told me how a lot of people at his school think his weird and almost inhuman. They treat him like an alien and he usually isn't invited to the local high school parties. He seldom has a group of people to sit with at lunch. M is accepting of this. He told me he doesn't want to hang out with people that don't want him there or don't treat him right. How hard could this be? This is like a high schoolers greatest nightmare. I mean, I get upset when I'm not invited to parties I wish I was invited to, and M doesn't have a care in the world. M exemplifies this unique characteristic, I truly wish I had. I feel that sometimes I'm scared to be myself. That I almost need to change to fit in with the lunch table. This does not need to be the case. I should be able to chose the person I am and stand up for what I believe in.

 

After our camp one day, M invited a bunch of us to go out for a quick snack and meet some of his friends. Knowing that I had 1.5 hours to get home and my time was already down to 2.5 hours I was kind of in a rush. When we got to the restaurant they weren't even open yet. By this point I was starting to get a bit upset. Then when we finally got in, the waitress took forever to get to us. I decided not to order anything and just meet M's friends. That's when M received a text that his friends were running late and wouldn't be there for a while. I needed to catch a bus and was getting really frustrated by M and this situation, that's when I realized who I was with. What I needed to do was take a deep breath and not get upset because things happen. I did just this and left to catch my bus without having met his friends. The situation disappointed me, but there was something about the presence of M that made my inner good side come out in the circumstances that unraveled.

 

M and I shared multiple lunches together during the breaks of our camp. When coming back from lunch one day we were terribly late. Being the on time freak that I am, I told him to hurry up and run. M, casually told me that there was no reason to rush. We were 5 minutes late and by rushing we would only get there a minute faster. I asked him why he didn't care. M explained to me, "It's not that I do not care. It is just that there are some things in life that you cannot control. By being a control freak you are missing out on fun spontaneous and crazy adventures." I then began to walk.

 

On another day after class, M and I along with some fellow classmates chose to go to the beach. Being in the magnificent city of Chicago, at the Lake Michigan beach was a perfect way to end the day. None of us having brought our swim suits, M came up with an idea of going swimming in our clothes. Not really sure about this idea, knowing that I had a 1.5 hour ride home, I was a bit leery. I decided to let go though, and enjoy myself. I did something spontaneous and not planned out. With the group of us holding hands we ran into the freezing cold water. When I say freezing, I mean freezing, as it was close to the coldest water I had been into in a while. But this was so fun! Being able to splash around and let loose and not really care what others thought was a great feeling. I was allowed to be myself.

Be Who You Want: Part I

People are constantly telling one another, do not judge a book by its cover. Of course we all fall into the mistake. Constantly we judge one another based on appearance, ideas, and values. We find others to make fun of to help overcome our own imperfections and differences, just to make us feel better. This last summer, though, I came across someone who inspired me even more so than usual to not judge others.

 

During the time between the school sessions, I find myself constantly learning. I participate in programs where I meet people from various backgrounds and situations. When walking into the room the first day of these programs, I am clueless and lost. I know absolutely no one in the room and to be honest I am extremely scared. I overcome fear by opening up my mind and talking to everyone. This is when I tend to meet the people who change my life.

 

For this particular program last summer I met a guy who seemed incredibly nice. The first thing I noticed about him was an amazing smile. His smile seriously lit up the room. As I began to learn more about this guy (for purposes of this blog I will call him M) it became blatantly obvious that he was gay. Never really having a close interaction with gay people I didn't know what to think. The topic of homosexuality never came up at family dinners. I never spent time talking to my friends about if it was okay for people to make this choice. I really don't know how my church feels about this issue. I guess it was just something I never came across. So after meeting M I was forced to think about how I felt about homosexuality and my opinions on the issue.

 

Within the days I spent with M I decided homosexuality is a fine choice for a person to make. Although others may not agree with my opinion, which is probably the case in most circumstances, I have decided people can make this choice as long as no one is hurt physically. I don't want to observe homosexuals making out in parks, but the same goes for straight people. These actions of public affection do not need to be witnessed by the world. Either way, every person has choices to make in their life, and if someone is more "in love" with their same sex than the opposite, then let them be. Their happiness is not affecting anyone in the process.

Where My Heart Rests

    I grew up in the city. I moved at age 8. After that I didn't quite remember what it was like. That was, until this last summer when I found where my heart had been resting the whole time - Chicago. As a young child, many of us do not remember the detail of different experiences. For instance, you probably could not tell me what you received for your 2^nd birthday. This was the same for living in the city. I could recount certain events, the life altering (at the time) ones, but could not tell you the layout of my bathroom in which I used every day. So this last summer, time was spent recreating memories.

Walking through the city streets gave me a feeling of comfort. The sky scrapers that graced there air, became a blanket while walking. I felt as if I was protected by this city feel; as if nothing at all could really harm me. Lake Michigan provided me with the refreshing water-smelling air. It's beauty was deceiving, though, because the residents of the city did not keep the waters clear. Trash littered some beaches, and going into the water was a mystery for when coming out. The water was freezing, and the windy city nickname was prevalent for those who emerged soaking wet and shivering. None the less, the city had everything I love, helping me to once again find where my heart was resting.

Seattle: Locational Identity

    Throughout my travels to various cities, both big and small, I have noticed that each individual city carries its own identity. Smaller cities tend to have a very strong community feel, holding every person together. Big cities tend to have this fast paced feel, as if everyone who enters them is immediately immersed into this big movie with the fast forward button being held down.

    I recently visited the city of Seattle. Although Seattle is a fast paced city, it also carries another identity. When walking through the streets of the city, I felt that the identity that fit Seattle best was one of the "hippie" type of style. Most people residing in the city were very eco-conscious. Location may be one factor to the cities unique identity. Being so close to the ocean and the surrounding mountains, residents of Seattle can see firsthand the effects of not taking care of the environment. The city streets were crowded with bustling people. These people constantly walked from their homes to work daily. Public transportation within certain city limits was free. This persuaded people to use the bus system instead of driving everywhere.

    Downtown there was Pike's Place Market. Here fresh vegetables, fruits, fish, and homemade crafts were sold. Walking around in this area, an aroma of the ocean was prevalent. These local venders relied on the constant stream of customers to keep their home derived specialties in progress. That being said, the people that called the market their job were talented at what they did. The best nectarine I have ever had was from the market. Upon returning home, nectarines that I would usually consider good, just didn't taste quite right.

    Seattle is known for rain. Not what I would consider as rain in the Midwest, because in Seattle the sky only mists; as in walking around in the "rain" is a fairly dry activity. Mysteriously enough, the days I spent in Seattle were sunny. This perfect sky situation, allowed me to try out some of Seattle's outdoor activities, which help to further the eco-conscious vibe within the city. One such activity included paddle boarding. Being so far north, Seattle's viciously cold water is far from fun to fall into after slipping off of a paddle board. Multiple times when trying to stand up, I found myself landing in the water and frantically scrambling to resume a dry and warmer position on my board. As an aspiring marine biologist myself, I was able to quickly cross off working without a wet suit in Seattle, if that is where I decide to work.

    Visiting Seattle exposed me to a city identity, focused on furthering their positive environmental impact. From this I believe everyone can learn that although one person can take a stand and be a role model, sometimes it takes a community to help others grow in awareness.

City Vibe

This past summer I spent quite a bit of time in major cities in the United States. Having been born in a major city, but now living in a city that is not as big, I know the city vibe. People are constantly moving, and couldn't have a care in the world about what others are doing as long as the motives of others do not hurt them. This summer, though, I was reminded of a city aspect I tend to forget about – the homeless.

Multiple times I found myself walking down streets and noticing how many homeless there were. Many held signs asking for food and thanking the Lord for the donations people gave. Others shared their creative acts with the walking audiences and hoped that their performance was more deserving of money than the person on the street I just walked past. Then there were those that were disabled, the ones that most felt sorry for because they spent their life in a wheelchair roaming the streets.

As I walked down the streets, I also observed different individuals' reaction to the homeless. Numerous children would gawk and stare. Adults would grab their children's hands when walking by, as if a simple grip on a hand could protect their children from the reality stricken cities. Either way, I noticed that no one stopped to ask the homeless their story. Most believe that those people are homeless because on an addiction, whether drinking, drugs, or any other type of abuse that left them on the street. Although this is most likely true with a fair amount of the homeless I passed, I knew there were some who had been laid off or had a family situation that they could no longer deal with. Their stories and situations remain hidden within each homeless person, but as human beings it is our job to help.

Even if the homeless were not good for the city, causing inflation in crime rates and other negative effects, the homeless add something to cities that we should be thankful for. While I wait for different trains to arrive, the homeless illuminate the platforms with music, good and bad. This music becomes the rhythm of the city. When I came to stations where the homeless were not present, I realized how much the homeless added to the city vibe. Without the music, an eerie, awkward silence would float through the air. The homeless make waiting for public transportation bearable.

Although homeless help a city contain its identity, the homeless themselves are hurting. Nightly sleeping outside and constantly being starved of hunger is not a positive experience. I'd be lying if I told you that the homeless have changed my life, but the truth is, the homeless just make all of my problems seem incredibly miniscule. This past summer I was never able to connect with one of the homeless to hear their story, as I wish I had, but I did learn that homeless people do not need to be gawked at, they need to be helped.

Introduction

Throughout my life I have been very fortunate and had many opportunities to travel and meet various individuals with incredible stories. Each individual I have come into contact with has, in some way, had an impact on me as a person. Whether small or big, the many people I have interacted with transform my mindset. I believe that every person has a story to share to help the world grow. This blog will be dedicated to these people that have morphed me and continue to impact me into the person I am today. An emphasis will be made on this blog to highlight the people I have met in my travels. Hopefully, readers will be able to see the need for diversity in the world. After recounting the people I have and continue to meet, I will go on to evaluate places for further travel and the people and cultures I hope to interact with in those countries. The world is a big place with many people to learn from, and maybe, just maybe, someday I'll meet every person...