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El Paso Trip Part One: The Colonias
It was a small trailer on a square piece of dirt. It certainly wasn’t what she had dreamed of when she had first come to the United States to stay with her mother, a citizen, but Soledad* owned the land and everything on it. Not ideal, but worth being proud of. Soledad had a quiet dignity that I had to admire. Serving us cookies from an old family recipe, she was insistent that she was the host and that we were her guests, reinforcing was Pastor Rosemary had told us before coming: With this service trip, we are here to learn from the people we talk to, not help them.…
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7 Reasons to Learn a New Language
There are more than 7 reasons to learn a language, but these are the top ones on my list because I feel like they cover the most important aspects. I would recommend everyone learns at least one foreign language during their life for each and every one of these reasons. 1. Culture I have written about the value of other cultures a bit in some of my other articles. Experiencing another culture on an intimate level is one of the most rewarding experiences in the world. Each one has good, bad, beautiful, and ugly characteristics. The more deeply you invest in any culture, the broader your critical understanding of the…
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Strawless Cups, LED Lights, and Other Distractions
The Earth is polluted and dwindling in resources. Scientists universally agree on that, and with the internet it's easy to find examples of things hurting the environment even if you live somewhere where nature seems healthy.
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5 Mistakes New Language Learners Make
Learning a new language is a daunting task, and takes a lot of trial and error. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes like misunderstanding or misusing language, because you are going make a lot of them. I once misunderstood what someone was asking me while I was in Mexico and accidentally convinced him I was an alcoholic, all the while oblivious to what I was saying and feeling proud that I was using such long sentences. View these mistakes as lessons and use them as tools to strengthen your memory rather than getting down on yourself. You can read more about what you should do here, but for now here…
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One Voice Day
July 26th is recognized as One Voice Day. It’s a celebration of the things that bring us together, a call for peace amidst differences. Several people of different races, religions, ages, and backgrounds worked together from October 1996 to April 1997 to create a document which would be titled the Universal Peace Covenant. Humans are beautiful, terrible, and everything in between. They can display incredible generosity and selflessness or commit cruel atrocities. One voice day chooses to focus on the positive aspects of people, on peace and unity. It is a call to action, a desire to recognize what brings us together even when things threaten to tear us apart.…
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How to learn a language: a realistic guide that isn’t selling shortcuts
So many people like to sell a product by saying that you will gain something valuable in record time. “Lose 10 pounds in a week.” “Learn French in 30 days.” “How to earn $5000 in your first month of blogging.” Let’s be real: That doesn’t happen. Unless you are a prodigy or very lucky, big achievements which will change your life take time and effort. I have spent years studying Spanish, from not really trying in grade school to piquing my interest in high school to going all in during college. Here I’m listing the things I have found to work when you’re studying a new language (in no particular…
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Jewelry Giveaway
Are you planning a night out where you want to look incredible? Do you love accessorizing on a day-to-day basis? You’re in luck! We are giving away this gorgeous bracelet from our store! We will be doing a drawing of the entries on July 20 and make our announcement then. Fill out the form below for a chance to win!
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#Metoo in Hindsight: Successes, Shortcomings, and What the Future Holds
It’s been a number of months since the hashtag #metoo exploded in popularity. Now, any time that sexual assault is brought up in conversation somebody needs to bring up the metoo movement. This is at least true in the United States, which I primarily reference because it’s where I live and I see how the movement unfolds firsthand. I had a history professor this semester who would say things like, “In a post-metoo world, we need to be more careful about how we interact with difficult topics.” That drove me up a wall. A hashtag brought awareness to an issue that already had existed for centuries. This isn’t the beginning…
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Erased Accomplishments: The Powerful Latina Creatives You Haven’t Studied
It’s no secret that history textbooks tend to spend the majority of their pages documenting the triumphs and failures of white men. A U.S. History textbook, for example, will take a chapter to discuss a short recap of the civil rights movement in the 1960’s and offhandedly mention the Trail of Tears in a sidebar, and a science class might be lucky enough to learn a couple of factoids about Marie Curie after weeks of lectures about men making discoveries. The typical student (assuming they don’t take elective courses about a more diverse telling of history) won’t know much about the invaluable contributions to mathematics made by Middle Eastern scholars,…
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Feeling Lost is a Strong Motivator
There is something about living and learning with a group of people going through a lot of the same things during formative years of early adulthood. The college experience, especially while living on campus, is a very unique set of circumstances. For some, it’s the best part of their lives; for others, the worst. It’s a time when new experiences are made and most people grow and change. It’s also a time when people are really weird. High levels of caffeine, low levels of sleep, and the first taste of independence create an environment where young people are inclined to push boundaries and try new things. My favorite eccentric experience…
