What it means to be punk

I think now I understand or rather have realized what it means to truly be Punk in our modern day society. According to Mr. Greg Graffin's "Punk Manifesto" a punk walks the thin line between social conformity and denouncing their social development. For my Catholic Imagination course we have to write a one page analysis of the human imagination as such. For this portion of the final I have chosen to write it from the Punk Imagination. Now I truly understand what Mr. Graffin has been getting at in his essay and what it means to be punk and how I AM PUNK. After almost 4 years of my undergraduate courses at Georgetown I have learned to walk that fine academic line of what my ideals/beliefs/thoughts are and how to utilize them in my courses to get my discourse across to my professors. 

So then does this realization complete my ideological process over to being a full punk????

Sock Monkeys, Scarves....?

As I sit here at Saxby's, what has almost become a morning ritual for me: grab a latte, sit read the paper, review for classes for the day, work on assignments and read what I didn't get a chance to the night before; I want to really craft all day and have all these lovely ideas.

I was just reading this blog, which is a great one, and I got inspired to do this awesome scarf for my mom. So I am going to order some supplies online and hopefully have it done and shipped off for Mother's Day. I almost feel like I have returned to my days in elementary school where you create things for your mami on Mother's Day, but as they say those are the best gifts. 

I also have this awesome idea to make a sock monkey for my nephew. I just need to search for organic socks and stuffing as well, because my brother and his wife are all for organic with Benji. Actually now that I think about it, I will make him a pair of sock monkeys. Then they can keep each other company and be sock monkey bffs. :)

Also here is an adorable picture of my ever growing faster than ever nephew that I love as if he was my own child. Of course, he is indeed my "son" for the time being of course. I am living vicariously through my brother and his wife. My parents are definitely happy to be abuelitos and have the privilege of seeing Benji about 3 times a week. 

So without further blabber from me, here's my little munchkin

 

One week and one day

Here I sit, one week and one day later still patiently waiting to hear back about my fate for this summer and the rest of my life. I know the interviewer said I would get an email sometime early this week. I don't like that sometime early this week can mean a wide range of things. I really do hope I get this job offer. To able to teach would be a gift in itself. Nothing I believe is more rewarding than teaching. I guess, I'll have to continue to wait anxiously to hear back from them.

Also, I bought my plane ticket back to LA. Its the final one way.......so it all comes down to May 20th!

*sigh*

Job Interview #1

At approximately 11:08am I got that call. The call I had been waiting anxiously for all morning. My first over the phone interview for a serious, postgraduation job. Eeekk!!! I felt confident, but at the same time a bit nervous. I made sure to smile as I answered my phone, someone once told you that people can hear it over the phone if you're smiling or not. So I tried my best. I wore a simple, black collared dress with my white cardigan and black flats. Another previous supervisor had advised me to always dress to impress for phone interviews, because it changes the way you speak and feel. Boy, was she right!!! The interview lasted for about 35 minutes. Not too bad. 

Now I wait until next week for that email that will either bring joy and happiness to my life or make me sad and even stress out more that I don't have a job yet!!

Suki

A few days ago, as I sat at Saxby's studying I looked outside and there standing was a lady with her Dalmatian. The Dalmatian reminded me of my nana's dog, Suki. Suki and I practically grew together, or rather I grew up alongside her. As far back as I can remember she was always there by my side. Nana always mentions the close knit relationship she and I shared, the dog that is. Tata would punish Suki for something she had done or wasn't supposed to do. Then apparently I would say, "No le pegues a mi 'mana Suki." Rough translation: "Don't hit my sister Suki." Of course at the age of 3 any child would believe that a dog could be her sister. She and I did have a special bond. I also remember when I would go visit Nana Suki was allowed inside. She was an outside dog, strictly an outside dog, but whenever I went over the rules were off. 

Suki would rest her head on my lap as I petted her. She wouldn't ever leave my side when I was over. It was a sad dog when Nana had to tell me that she had to be put to sleep. :( She and I had a very close bond, and she was the coolest Dalmation I had ever met in my life. I think if I ever get my own dog, it'll be named Suki II, or have that as her middle name. In honor of her.

This deserves a blog!!!

I just got my first interview for Yes Prep Schools in Houston, TX. 

YAY~

I was starting to worry that my job applications had gone unrecognized. This makes me feel a lot better!

:)

Leopards & Lions in the Masai Community

After a discussion earlier today, in which I shared my interpretation of a leopard to Professor Pfordresher he realized that I had constructed an interesting antithesis. Now I also realize that both creatures are majestic and are almost mirror images of human nature. In the book Rediscovering Christianity, the Masai Tribe of Tanzania believe the Lion is God. People have inherent characteristics that make them good, however is it the desires of a person that determine whether a person will exercise gluttony, lust or restraint. The leopard can kill just for the sake of killing. Same can be said of a person. Sometimes there is not a really explanation or a logical one for why a person acts a certain way or commits certain acts, other than the person takes great pleasure from it. The Leopard that attacked and plagued the Masai Tribe did not have the necessity to feed every night, but the thrill of the hunt and chase of the herds facilitated its desire for the lustful sinning. Same can be said of many human activities. 

A person can be just like the Lion: bold, shows restraint and regal in the way they carry themselves. I believe that every person has a bit of the Lion and the Leopard in them, essentially it all depends on said person to choose which one to encompass. However, I also believe that a person can have a bit of the leopard in them while maintaining a consistent foundation that IS the lion. And of course, vice versa. 

As I write this, I'm not quite sure what my ultimate purpose is in writing this blog, other than the animals in our world remind me our human traits and our essential primitive beings. Something that we often forget we are. We are all animals with certain innate characteristics that cause us to act in certain ways, regardless if we truly desire to do them or not. Of course, every human being can rationalize and determine for himself or herself what to do. What is morally correct and what is not. The fact that human beings have the capacity to rationalize separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom and places us higher in the animal kingdom. 

Rediscovering Christianity

The previous week in my theology course "Catholic Imagination" we read the book Rediscovering Christianity by Father Donovan. In this book, Father Donovan delves into the problematic process of evangelizing and converting a pagan culture to Christianity. In this book, I saw many resemblances to my own cultural background: the indigenous communities of the Americas. By Americas I mean, the countries from the Mexico-US border down south to the Southern Cone. I began to realize the difficulties in absorbing the other culture that one is not familiar with. To begin with it is difficult to understand an unknown culture, even more so if you are the person trying to convince them to leave their "pagan" ways and convert to Christianity. It also made me realize how the Gospel is not just simply a written text to be understood as a written work, but rather as an ever changing, evolving and fluid part of our oral traditions. The fact that the Gospel can be molded to every culture in our world is an amazing feat. God truly did create the Gospels to be for everyone.

I am not saying that missionaries who set off to evangelize peoples of pagan traditions is correct, although I believe its a beneficial mission for the  missionaries themselves. It truly allows for them to understand and "realize" what the Gospel truly means and how it will be disseminated. Evangelization has been a very polemic topic across the ages for many. Especially during the every colonization periods where the conquistadores from Europe forcefully converted the indigenous peoples of the Americas. However, as time has gone by the message of the Gospels has permeated more to the missionaries themselves than the converts themselves. It is also important to remember that evangelization is only effective when it occurs as a community, because the indigenous communities of the world act communally and not individually the way the Western world does. Everyone in the community is individual and unique yet at the same time they all serve a function, a purpose in their community. For example, our laptops work in great sync with its hardware and software. Take away the keyboard and your laptop ceases to function correctly and it becomes harder to use it fully and its extent. 

This is what, Father Donovan learned, well one of the many things he learned through his missionary work with the Masai Tribe in Tanzania. Community is essential to the evangelization process and it works when everyone works together. This is where the missionaries in the late 1700s in the Americas failed. They believed that by evangelizing a single person they were doing great things, however they were failing rather than succeeding. A single person cannot practice the Gospel effectively because a congregation is needed to incorporate all aspects of the Gospel. 

The two key things to the Gospel I believe after reading the book are: importance of community and the adaptability and elasticity that the Gospels have make them ever lasting and truly God's word.

"Taken"

The other day my sister happened to call me and to asked me if I had seen the film Taken. I replied no, then inquired what it was about. A brief synopsis is a pair of girls go to Paris on a trip and are kidnapped, forced in the sex slave trade. My sister then expressed that she was very concerned for my safety while I was abroad in Spain. I spent September 2007 to June 2008 living, studying, working and traveling. I lived in Salamanca, Spain, on school holidays I would often go out of the country and visit the usual: Paris, London, Rome, etc and the not so common: Stockholm, Budapest, Geneve, etc. The only person who really knew my whereabouts as I traveled was my sister. She knew where I was staying, my flight information, what my plan was for the day, etc. I also made sure to call and email every day, especially at night, to let her know I got in okay. 

I mean it came across my mind a few times the danger that a lone woman traveling in Europe could mean. I really did try to be as 'native' as possible, so no one could tell I was a foreigner. I believe it worked pretty well. When I was in Berlin, Budapest and Paris many people thought I was a native and would come up to me asking me information regarding a train or another issue. I would always shake my head and reply, "No, I'm sorry, I don't speak (insert language here)." More than often they would reply back in English, "Oh, you looked like you knew very well what you were doing." SUCCESS! That was my goal while I lived in Europe: to be like a native. 

Now as I reflect on my experiences I realized the amount of danger I had put myself in. I also felt like my mother had prepared enough as I was growing up to know how to identify potentially dangerous situations and how to be discreet in removing myself from harm. For example, when I was in Paris, just outside the Louvre a man approached me and began speaking to me in French. After I said, "Je ne parle pas françis." He began to introduce himself and ask me out to dinner. The first thought in my head was, "Oh no.....I need to get out of this, fast!" So I politely declined and said I had to meet some friends inside, so I walked back into the Louvre. I figured if anything happened I could always scream "HELP!" and I would be helped by someone. After a few minutes, I proceeded to get on the metro and head back to my hostel. 

As I backpacked and traveled in Europe I never really considered that this could be in fact dangerous or that I was a woman traveling by myself. A few weeks ago I had an amazing conversation with Professor Pfordersher, my theology professor, and he said I was "a very strong woman." I had never really thought of myself as being a "strong woman." I always thought I did what I felt was correct and would be best for me. Maybe backpacking solo, despite its flaws, was the best thing I could have done for myself in Europe. It thought me to be truly independent, how to plan, how to strategize, hone on my "street smart" skills and apply the advice my mom had always given me. It also made me realize just how important everything my mother had told was. 

**A bit off topic, but this made me "realize" what we have been learning in my theology course. I just built a "bridge" of true understanding and knowledge to the advice my mother had given me. I never really "understood" its full meaning as it was just being taken in my conscious, but it wasn't until I traveled and was left to my own device that it all made sense.**

Point of blog: I managed to make it back into the US safe and sound with no missing body parts and no traumatic experience. Also, I had an experience of a lifetime!