So They Didn't Want Our Blood

While my family was in New York we decided to do something to help out with the hurricane relief effort. At first the idea was to volunteer, however it was impossible to find a place that didn't require an orientation or to be over 18.
After realizing volunteering was out, the second idea was to donate blood. You'd be surprised how hard it is to find a place that will take your blood around here, most of the hospital data bases are down so they are not taking blood donations, no matter how needed it is.
After almost an hour googling around and calling people, my dad found two places that might be open. We had no confirmation from either of them, and ended up walking to the one that was closer. We promptly became lost, walking in circles trying to find a place to just take our blood!
When all seemed lost we found a become of hope, a blood donation center hidden behind a park. We walked in, ready to donate when...
We were told they would not be accepting donations till January because of the storm! Luckily, or so it seemed, they had the name of another blood bank that would be open on Black Friday.
Today we set off, ready to finally do our bit to help New York recover. Paper work was filled out, photo IDs looked at, and the preliminary tests taken when...
We were denied. My iron levels were to low, and it turns out that you can't donate blood if you have a cold, meaning that our two day adventure resulted in nothing. Ah well, perhaps another year.

Thanksgiving 2012

It seems to be a thing to do a Thanksgiving post, almost all the blogs I read are doing one, so I figured I'd jump on that band wagon.
This year my family is back up in New York as we are every year, bonding with everyone and enjoying the city. I didn't go to the parade this year, although my cousins were in it yet again. As a typical teen I stayed up till midnight and slept till noon. It's the holidays, I get to chill a bit.
My father and I walked down to see the freedom tower, which was incredible to see in person. I was about 5 during 9/11 so my memories are vague, however my dad was in his early 40s, and we had a long conversation about it.
There wasn't all that much to see besides construction, but the building is so majestic, I was awe struck looking up at it. I think it will be completed next year, and my family and I will be able to go and pay our respects.
Tonight we gorged on turkey and other amazing food, and reflected on what we have to be thankful for. I have so much to be thankful for, and I won't bore you with listing everything ( although I do love lists) but what I am most thankful for is my family, for standing by me and supporting me for 16 years. I would be totally lost without them, and love everyone so much. Have a happy turkey day everyone, may your plates and hearts always be full.

עם ישראל חי

I don't like to bring politics into this to much, hence no post about the election this year. However with everything thats been going on in Israel I feel like I have to say something about it. I'm very pro Israel, as is any US citizen that plans on joining the IDF. I spent last summer there and hope to spend a semester there next year, its one of my favorite places on this earth. When I was there this summer my group was taught a lot about the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Our counselors tried to keep the conversation as unbiased as they could, but half of them were Israeli and many had lived in Israel at some point or another, so naturally we did get the Israeli point of view. Regardless we witnessed first hand life by the Gaza strip, and talked to kids our age who's houses had been hit by rockets while they were sleeping. We saw a bomb proof day care center and learned about how little time there is to get to a shelter when a siren goes off.
I know there is no way to keep an open mind with everything that is going on, but what I am asking you to do is please try to see the other persons side, whether that be the Israeli or the Palestinian. The only way that peace can be achieved is through compromise, and the only way compromise can be found is through trying to see the other persons point of view. It isn't easy, and I'm not asking you to change your opinion on the conflict, rather to see where the other side is coming from. I hope that peace, or at least tolerance of the other group of people can be achieved soon, and the loss of innocent lives ended on both sides. In any conflict innocent people are killed, it is inevitable, and this conflict has been going on for decades. My only hope is that the conflict will end soon, no one should live in fear like that.

Trying to Explain My Weekends is Like Trying to Read Alphabet Soup

Its no secret that I love to keep myself busy. My friends make fun of me, saying that my "down time" is volunteer work with Soldiers Angels, but I digress. Generally my schedule is pretty set, busy but normal. However every once in a while something crazy comes up that shifts my day around. Alright maybe twice a month but you get the idea. This past weekend was spent at the ACDA All State Conferience. ACDA is a national organization  which has yearly choir conferences including a few different All State Choirs for kids of different ages. I've tried out a few times for All State choirs throughout the years but have never gotten in, until now.
Being a part of the Women's Choir at ACDA was an amazing experience, one that I will never forget. Never before had I been a part of a choir that was so professional and so dedicated to singing. Our conductor, Rollo Dilworth was so energetic and involved in bringing out the best in each one of us. We even sang one of his songs, a gospel song that has been stuck in my head ever since. Seeing a conductor get so into leading his choir like Dr. Dilworth does always makes me incredibly happy.

This is a picture my Dad took at the concert. 

I am the one in the green dress on the front row

In other news, this weekend I am heading to the LMEA All State, another music conference which is very similar to the ACDA one in many ways. The LMEA auditions are all in person instead of recordings and has two rounds instead of one. As far as I know I am the first student from Lusher to go to the LMEA Choral All State, and I am looking forward to it.

Last but certainly not least I found out last week that I was accepted to the ACDA Women's National Honor Choir, which will take place in Dallas next March. 8 students from my school were accepted and I am very psyched to see what it holds in store.