Greetings from England, Ireland, and Wales !!! (FC) 4/30

OMG ! Where do I begin… MY TRIP WAS GREAT! I stayed in Ireland for 5 days which wasn't what I expected. The first 5 days were nonstop sightseeings, visiting historical monuments, and trying hard to grab some limited wifi from wherever I could. Ireland is very green, and extremely beautiful. The second night me and some of the girls went to go see Captain America 2, which was extremely AWESOME! The first couple of nights were boring simply due to the limited TV channels, and not much for us to do. Me and my friends decided to spend our nights altogether making jokes, talking, and laughing about the most random things while talking about Marvel vs. DC comics. It was nice bonding with everyone, and it sort of made me not want the trip to end while it was just starting. The food could have been much better but that is because the UK serves organic food, and I am used to the greasy, salty, and sugary foods that the US has provided me all my life, but I lost weight which wasn't the best since I am already a skinny gal. t visited Wales for one day which was pretty cool since its a nice vacation spot, its very chilled and calm. NOW LONDON WAS JUST MIND BLOWING! England itself was just everything I had expected it to be it was more than that, it was like NY but 1000x better. Shopping stores were huge about 2x the size of your average H&M and Urban Outfitters in NY + so much more. I loved seeing Big Ben and strolling the London bridge. My trip was everything I had expected it to be but a lot more than I expected. I made great friendships, reconnected with some, and overall just had such a wonderful experience. I missed my family like crazy and missed my warm bed back at home, but thank god I got to experience what most people haven't got the chance to at 17 years old, especially in my family. It was the experience of a lifetime and I hope to visit these places and so many others in the near future.

The Movie Claudine (ID) 4/2

For Ms. Epps African American film/literature class, we are currently watching the movie Claudine. It shows the life of a young African American woman living in Harlem off welfare and with her six kids. She was married twice but each man left her to care for her children alone, and she works for a white woman on the other side of town as a maid. Throughout the film, Claudine meets a garbage man who works near her and they soon fall in love. Their relationship is in a struggle simply because she loves him but cannot marry him. She wants to show him around, but whenever she does, the welfare woman that shows up at her door is convinced she finally has a man that can financially support her therefore she no longer needs welfare checks which is not the case. Claudine feels exhaustion due to not knowing where her kids are ever up to, she is a single struggling mother, and her boyfriend has struggles of his own due to paying child support to two of his kids that he never sees. He does not want to be dragged into a marriage where welfare people will always be on his case, and Claudine does not want to feel like she is bringing him into a marriage that will take away his free rights as a man with no obligations. This movie was made in the '70s and depicts how life was in the '70s for people who were on the welfare system. What I've learned thus far is that people like the woman who constantly harassed Claudine are still around today, but instead it is not only the welfare system, but child services as well. Nothing ever really changes, it just takes turns for the worst.

Preparation for My England, Ireland, Wales Trip (FC) 3/19

On April 16th, 2014, Me and 17 other students along with some teachers to travel England, Ireland, and Wales for 9 days. I am expecting to see so much on my trip. Since I was a child I have always wanted to see England. I don't know too much about Wales, but that is what I find so exciting about this trip since I am awaiting to see what new things I can find in Wales. I am also excited to see Ireland. From my prior knowledge I know that Ireland is a very religious country, people drink a lot, and they are known for their green grass and four leaf clovers. Most importantly, it is the country where Saint Patrick helped spread Catholicism to the irish people who lived there many many years ago. I can't wait to see Big Ben, The London Bridge, and so much more In England. I never thought I could ever make it to see London someday because I thought it was so expensive and that you'd have to be rich to make it to a place like that. I am just extremely happy to finally see my dreams come true!