"Oppa"!!!!

Only seven more weeks until summer! I know, I know that it is still far away, and we all have another round of midterms to go, and all those lectures we still have to attend, then finals to top it all off before we can go. But, the anticipation of summer and all the other factors signaling its arrival, such as the hot weather, the change of wardrobe, the opening of the pool and seeing people in their swimsuits just makes me all the more excited and anxious about my summer.
This summer, I am going Greece! My mom reminded me last night to make sure I get time off work so I can go, and it got me all pumped up just thinking about it. The senior class at my high school is going to Greece for their senior trip and I was asked to be a chaperone. It was a really good deal. My Greece trip is for two weeks, I leave a week after school gets out. If you are a chaperone, you only pay half the amount because the class is paying for your other half, and all my meals, rooming, and transportation is included. All I have to do is supply my own pocket money for gifts, souvenirs, and any other extra items I may want to purchase. I have never been to Greece before, the only ‘Greek’ things I know is from watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding, reading about Greek gods in mythology from my English classes, watching the 2004 summer Olympics on TV, and seeing pieces of the Parthenon and learning about this historic monument in the British National Museum when I went to London two summers ago. I cannot wait to go and dive into the culture, eat the foods, meet the people and experience the Mediterranean feel of Greece. I absolutely cannot wait, summer needs to be here right now!

Meanies

This weekend my family and I took a trip into the city to watch the play Wicked. It was amazing! From the beginning to the end the story kept the audience at the edge of their seats and full of laughs. If you are unfamiliar with the play and without ruining the ending, it is the story about the relationship between the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North before Dorothy, from the Wizard of Oz, came into the picture. Growing up, the Wizard of Oz was definitely part of my vocabulary. I remember wanting to be the Good Witch of the North one year for Halloween and those highly coveted ruby slippers from Dorothy’s feet was part of my everyday wardrobe. But after seeing this play, and learning about the friendship between the two witches, I realized that the Wicked Witch wasn’t so bad after all. In the play, Elphaba (the Wicked Witch) is very different from her peers around her. She is so different that even her own father does not acknowledge her as his daughter. But despite it all, she held her head high and fought for what she believed in while everyone laughed and talked behind her back. This got me to think about how too often, being different is hard to overcome in such a ruthless society. We forget our own voice and conform to the voices of others. Last Thursday I was coming back from class and a little person passed by me and the group of people behind me after passing her too started snickering and made the comment "dude, she will make for a good footstool”. It was completely mean and uncalled for.

Ochoo!!!

A runny nose, an itchy throat, watery eyes and a sneeze that makes me feel like I am sneezing my brains out, could only mean one thing…SPRING! Don’t get me wrong though. After winter quarter with the cold and rainy days, the thick and heavy outdoor coats, rain boots, and having nothing to do for a past time besides stay indoors and watch TV or go on Facebook, spring time is a much better alternative. The sun is out, people are playing frisbee on the grass, the clothes are much lighter and brighter, and everyone’s mood in general is much more cheerful as they anticipate the end of the school year. But with this wonderful season comes the infamous “band of allergies”. Symptoms which include sneezing, a runny or clogged nose, coughing, nose drips, watery eyes and allergic shiners (those dark bags under your eyes when you wake up in the morning that are caused by your nose being clogged) are the most popular that affect people. (Szeftel). I myself have experienced such symptoms the past few weeks. Waking up every morning with a plugged nose and an itchy throat is not a good way to start off your day. Wouldn’t you agree? Then being the only person to have a sneezing attack in the middle of a lecture is not too fun either. But there are a couple remedies that I have found helpful to get me through this season. The first is Airborne, just one tablet in a cup of juice and you’re good to go the rest of the day. The second is Claritin, small in size, but it goes a long way. With these two medications by my side, I can be sure to have a successful and fun filled spring quarter.


Works Cited
Szeftel, Alan MD, FCCP. “7 Symptoms of Allergies from Airborne Substances.” MedicineNet.
com. 4 Mar. 2003. MedicineNet Inc. 5 Apr. 2009. art.asp?articlekey=22533>.