Self Segregation

Why do we do it? It's definitely not a conscious choice.
Learning about ethnicity in Gov20 has taught me that ethnicity is "ascriptive", we chose what/who we are based on what will benefit us the most. Certainly we can't change our race, but we can choose how much to emphasis it, or let it dictate who we are.
Borders and boundaries are arbitrary.

Yet we still choose to follow them so closely.

I've met someone at school who completely disregards his heritage, and it makes me irrationally irritated. But is that just because I haven't been able to move beyond my own boundaries? Either way,

These things are pretty much pure sugar
and so bad for me.

I apologize for the bad lighting in the photo. Haven't yet figured out how to fix that via photoshop.

The implications of this are....

K: Aw dangit!
K has just finished rummaging through her CVS bag and looks disappointed at an item concealed within the plastic folds.
B: What?
B is a well built Peruvian with angular looks and a quick smile. His current expression is one of slight concern mirroring that of K's.
K: Well a slight hesitation I bought the wrong type of tampon.
pause
B: Oh, did you get strawberry flavor instead?

缘分

In ten (or perhaps twenty) years when your children ask you what you were doing when Obama made history, what will you say?

Now, that's out of the blue - is this an assignment your teacher gave you? Well I guess it wasn't that long ago - after all, what's a couple of decades to this steel trap that is your mother's mind!

When the polls closed and votes started flowing in, your mother was glancing at the numbers between trying to balance on her head and fumbling with a slowed down version of the 6-step. No your mother was not a gymnast, nor was she imitating an insect (yes, insects have 6 legs, good - I guess you are getting an education after all). I break dance - you know, where they dance while doing cool tricks? Mum will show you afterwards, you'll be my little breakdancing prodegy. In any case, your mother then went to a friend's room when Obama was announced the winner of the election with much hullabaloo. There were people running around outside without clothing. Yes, exactly, they were just like you when taking a shower, well aren't you the smart one.

I didn't run around outside, too cold for that, instead your mom and a friend went to toast champagne and Martinelli's sparkling apple cider with fellow students on the third floor of a Freshman dorm while watching Obama's acceptance speech on a laptop. Champagne? It's a bubbly type of alcohol -- is that so? I think your teacher is teaching you a bit too much, now. But yes, drinking is not something kids should do, but I was in college at the time, that's big kids school. Big kids are allowed to do these things. You? You'll get there in time.

Your mother then walked across the yard to a friends' music room. He's quite the pianist, playing popular music by request, your mother's not quite as talented. Anyway, singing is a great way to pass the time - three hours to be specific.

Mum called it a night after that.

What? Where did you hear that?
Yes, it is true your mom didn't want children really but that doesn't mean that she --

Well, you could have at least said goodbye.
Perhaps we'll meet again, if it is 缘分.

For now I'll make do with Obama.

Just D.A.N.C.E!

K: You can basically make a dance move out of any sport. Baseball make swinging motions . Basketball bounce up and down while keeping rhythm in your hands by dribbling the "ball". Even swimming! Just.. make it look cool.
J: That's true.
K: Yeah! Any sport!
J: What about bowling?

I constantly misplace my ID. Things that happen when you lose your ID:
The dinning hall lady - Domna - gets extremely frustrated with you
You have to call people to get back to your dorm, unless you're me, then you've also forgotten your cellphone and then you're really fucked
You can't get into anyone else's dorm
Everything you want to do takes twice as long
You prepare a list of statements to prove you actually are a student

tricky little buggers

Shibboleth Step

During WWII, in order to catch Japanese spies disguised as American or Filipino military personnel, a shibboleth "lollapalooza" was used by the guards. Because Japanese normally pronounce their "l" sounds as "r"s *, if the person in question responded with "rorra" as the first two syllables, the guard would instantly "open fire without waiting to hear the remainder."
A book about a Thousant Things - George Stimpson

In other news, Halloween night consisted of losing articles of clothing on the dance floor (in the most innocent way possible) and black lights. The latter I have given much thought and decided would be a nice addition to my room, if not incriminating.

The Black Friday equivalent of Halloween involved a trip to Tufts University to watch a intercollegiate step competition. Almost all the schools did very well. The man sitting behind me - who also indirectly taught me what CP stood for (me, eaves dropping? Never) - summed it up quite nicely "I'm still confused about Harvard. I mean, their performance was like all white and two Asians, and an Indian chick. There were no black people. It's a black cultural club with no black people."
I found myself nodding in agreement, which is not to say that I am for exclusion or that I am not for integration. But it's like a Chinese cultural club filled by non-Chinese people - very difficult to take seriously. Heritage does not allow for immitation. By all means spread the word, spread dance, spread literature, spread corporations and people. But globalizing our foundation, globalizing our roots - well, that's just not possible.

As Harvard left the stage the cheering was muted, I think I might try step.

*Added for clarification (see Fran, this asterisk actually led somewhere)