The Prodigal Blogger and Her Adventures with Education

How many times have I said I'd get better at this whole blogging thing? Who knows, I've started writing this post at least 10 times. I can never get the words to sound right or get the motivation to shape them to sound how I want them to.

Things have been interesting around here, to say the least. Some days are good, others are worse but over all things just keep moving forward if I like it or not. I need to start blogging again, writing down what is going on and my opinion about everything.

For instance that Wall Street Journal Op-Ed by Suzy Lee Weiss. Y'all know which one I am talking about, people have been raging about it for the past few weeks. I've read the article a few times and watched a few interview and in all honesty I agree with her. I don't agree with everything she says mind you and I feel like it would be very easy to get offended by that article but she raises some great points.

Like Suzy I don't offer much diversity. I'm a middle class white girl from New Orleans. My parents both went to college, both have masters degrees, and I have never been left wanting. Like Suzy I am lucky, luckier than either of us realize probably. I have plenty to be proud of and have done some pretty cool things in my sixteen years on earth but as far as diversity, I am lacking. Maybe not as much as Suzy is, after all I am Jewish, from New Orleans, and have more volunteer hours than I know what to do with. Hell I'd have a lot more if I tracked my Soldiers Angels work in a more dedicated fashion.

Just like Suzy I am trying to figure out what do to with the rest of my life. After almost twelve years of schooling making a change is a loaded choice that I will spend many sleepless nights thinking about. SATs, ACTs, APs, and personal essays fill my nightmares as well as many of Americas teens. They do tell us to just be ourselves. But being ourselves isn't good enough anymore. Everyone pads their resumes or at least makes things sound more professional and advanced then they really are. Babysitter becomes Child Care Executive, dog walker becomes Canine Care Specialist. I could easily go on.

Even when applying to part time jobs people want to know your experience. Get three professional references and talk about a time where you improvised and it worked. Let me tell you something. I don't have three professional references. Technically I do, but they are from the same job. A job that has nothing to do with the one I am applying for. I just want to stock shelves and save up for college, not cure cancer. Not that any college will want me, I have no work experience! They want us to be ourselves but generally being yourself just isn't good enough anymore.

 I'm not saying I deserve to get into an Ivy League school because honestly I don't want to go to one. But to apply to the schools that are right for me, the ones that I have worked hard to find, I feel like I have to be something more than myself. Being me should be good enough to get a college degree. I have pushed myself to succeed and over come a lot of things. So have many other teenagers all across America who are finding out that just being yourself is no longer good enough. It use to be that having great grades and scores were enough. That is just the starting point these days. Now you need that, plus a great job, volunteer experience, a killer essay, amazing recommendations, and a sob story. Almost no one has all of that so we all lie about it. And it slowly starts to snowball, getting to the point where people aren't being accepted for who they are but who they pretend to be. And the kids that do have everything that schools are looking for? The ones that don't pad their resumes and worked hard at things they loved. They get lost in the shuffle.

I don't want this to get misinterpreted as another whiney white girl  feeling like she deserves more than she has gotten. I am blessed to not have to work just yet, rather to be getting a job because I want to. I don't have to worry about how to pay for college which I know is rare. I truly have the opportunities to do what ever I want to with my life, and I am blessed in more ways than I know. But I also see the flaw in the system like Suzy. And like her I don't want to sit around and pad my resume. I am working hard to be the change I wish to see in this world and to do that I need my voice to be heard. Not because I deserve it, but because I will earn that right. I may be young, and have a lot to learn, but I will make a difference. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday. A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, and this is mine. No more would have, could have, should have. This is my first step.

I'd also love to hear your experience with the college application process. Did you pad your resume? Do you still? I'd love to hear about it!

2013

Another year has gone by already, and now time for a rambling overdue blog post about how the past year was. 2012 was absolutely crazy, a year full of a whole mess of changes, but over all one of my favorites. I somehow managed to stay sane without any soda for one full year (YES) and successfully maintained my sanity while home schooled. One thing I did not manage to do was read 100 books in the time frame I gave myself in July 2011, which is why I am starting fresh and my new resolution is to read 100 books this year. See handy wiget over on the side.
School is going well this year, in some ways I almost miss home schooling but thats just at 7 am when I don't want to roll my sorry butt out of bed and attend classes. All of that aside I am doing really well in my classes and have even managed to make a bunch of new friends.
One thing I haven't managed to do is keep up my web domain name. It's on the to-do list I promise, and I'll probably get to it this weekend but you know how things can be. I had my wisdom teeth out this weekend, which was an interesting experience. I'll tell you about it. Most likely next year seeing how bad I am at keeping up with this. New Year, new start who knows. Maybe I'll get better at this. Probably not.

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. 

To Pants Again!

I did it! Against all odds, I somehow managed to only wear skirts for a full year, baring athletic activities. This summer was a pretty big challenge as far as skirts were concerned, because we did a lot of athletic activities. I wore pants in the Negev, for obvious reasons, and also to a concert. I was going to wear a skirt to the concert near the end of the trip, however with thousands of teens running around I figured that shorts were the best idea. However I did wear a skirt when we climbed Masada, and for our multiple walking tours all around the country. After a while wearing a skirt wasn't that big of a hassle, I just learned to live with it and adapt to the various difficulties that would occur. I'm wearing a pair of jeans now, and it feels kind of weird. I almost feel more constricted in a pair of pants then I did in a skirt, probably because there is more fabric. Its weird not having the restrictions on what I can wear anymore, but I know that I will probably keep wearing skirts most of the time. What can I say they are very comfortable.