Do
you have people you love so much? I think you do. The person I love is my grandmother.
She’s passed away 10 years ago when I was 15 years old. She and I were very
close to each other and I was a grandma’s girl. She was a great cook, and
charming, strong and funny. I used to go to her place all the time and she used
to come to my home a lot too. Both of my parents were working, so she took care
of me and my sister often. I took a trip with her every year, and made
unforgettable memories I can still recall clearly, however, I also have so many
regrets about her. When we found out she had a cancer, it was too late. Her
cancer was metastasized in her body. Even though she was in bad shape, I had
hope and belief that a miracle will happen and she will get well. The miracle
didn’t happen. I never thought she would pass away this early. Right before she
died, I was approaching puberty and was in the middle of my rebellious phase,
and I said stuff I should never have said to her. Precisely because she and I
were really close, we fought and argued a lot. She was trying to teach me how
to be a better person, but I just couldn’t listen to her. I should have told
her how much I loved her instead of saying something stupid before she died. I
don’t know how I could be so stupid, but I thought I would have time with her
more. I didn’t think I should told her how I feel about her right away. When I
wanted to tell her how much I love her and she is so important to me, she was
gone.
I learned from my mistake, and I never do the same thing to
people around me. I always tell them how much I love them. I try to act the way
I wouldn’t regret even if they were gone tomorrow. We need to say things to
people we love when we can. Please don’t think they know your feelings already
without saying anything. We have to make sure they know how you feel about them
before they are gone. Because either of you will pass away earlier than another
one. For that moment, I think it is very important to give expression to talk
and spend time with them as much as you can. I wish you and your loved ones
best, and may the relationship between you and them last for a very long time.
The Box Which is I keep letters from loved ones inside.
So many letters inside. The oldest one is from 15 years ago.
The letters from my grandmother. I brought them with me from Japan.
February 14th may be one of the important days
for the romantic relationship. Couples could use this day for showing their
gratitude and love to each other. In the United States, it is common that
people exchange gifts, cards, candy or flowers, right? Since I came to the U.S.
3 years ago, I have seen men holding red roses for their loved ones on
Valentine’s Day. However, this is not what I see in Japan on Valentine’s Day.
In Japan, Valentine’s Day is the “confession day” for girls
who don’t have boyfriend. They prepare chocolate and give it to the guy that
they are in love with. As Valentine’s Day gets closer, a lot of chocolates are
sold from various brands at the food department in a shopping mall. Women go
there and hunt the chocolate they want. The food department is so crowded,
employees are shouting to get more customers to sell more chocolates… It is a
war. Meanwhile, guys usually do nothing on Valentine’s Day. They also have a
chance to get chocolates from women who are not their girlfriends because women
give chocolate to not only for their love but also male friends. Not all of
guys like candy and chocolate, but getting many chocolates is a status for
them. I’m not a guy so I really don’t know, but I guess getting a lot of
chocolates makes them feel popular, cool, macho etc. When the chocolate is not
for confessing love, women always make sure to not mislead guys. Usually the
chocolates for friends don’t have special wrappings, no hearts and no cards.
It’s for being thankful to be friends.
So what should men do for women? There is a day called
“White Day” in Japan. It’s March 14th which is exactly after 1 month
of Valentine’s Day. White Day is for men who got chocolates, giving something
back to women. It started about 40 years ago in Japan by sweet treat companies
for advertisement. They named it “White Day” because white symbolizes purity. Usually
men get marshmallow or handkerchief for female friends, and for the partner,
they tend to get more expensive gifts. Some of them take her out to the fancy
restaurant. I think this custom comes from a typical Japanese characteristic.
We Japanese feel that we have to give something back to them with gratitude
when we get gift or treat from others. That’s why it was easy to make White Day
established for Japanese people.
Valentine’s Day in the U.S. and Japan are a little different,
but I think the motive is same. We want to make people we love happy. I hope
you enjoy this year’s Valentine’s Day with friends, family and loved ones no
matter you’re single or taken, and don’t forget to tell them how much you love
them.
On April 29th, 2015, Wednesday from 10:00 am to
2:00 pm. I went to one of the school event at Avila University. It is “Free
neck and back massage”. This event is one of the stress relief week’s event. This
event was sponsored by Wellness, GAP, Student Senate & RHA at Marian Center
Lounge. There were 6 licensed massage therapists, and it took about 15 minutes
for 1 person. Actually cycle was so fast in a good way, so most of the students
did not need to wait for the massage for long time. I personally wanted to go
to this event so bad, because I seriously needed the massage. I was having a
serious headache and the cause was coming from neck and shoulder. So when I see
the posters for this event, I decided to join for sure!
When I went there, I interviewed some people who were
waiting for massage and people who was just done from the massage. The first
person I interviewed with is Emily James, nursing major at Avila University. I
asked her, “What do you think about this event?” She said, “Having neck and
back massage for stress relief week, I think this is really great event and it
really helps. This massage is relaxing and very calm, I think everyone needs to
take a break, and refresh the wrong head. That’s great.”
The next person I interviewed is Yesenia Beltran, Junior,
Nursing major. I asked her, “What do you think of the massage?” She said, “I
think students stress relief week is really nice, and it helps you relax. I got
a massage and it was super nice, so I recommend it.”
I interviewed Haley Baer next. She is also nursing major at
Avila University. I asked “What do you think of this event?” She answered, “I
think these massages are great, because it reliefs all the tensions you built
up and stressful finals, and it’s just a good twenty-minute break."
The last person I interviewed at the event is Conner
Hetzler, theatre major and dance miner. I asked her, “How did you know this
event?” She answered, “I’ve seen it on posters, and I got an email about it.
And I definitely wanted to get here because I need it.” Then I asked her, “Do
you want this event more often?” She said, “Yes, I think definitely they should
keep this around. Actually this is really good stress relief, and I think line
moves fast so it’s really helpful.”
As you can see, obviously this event helps students to
relief stress. After getting massage, I felt so much better and refreshed. This
is final week, and everyone has stressed. So it is very nice to join like this
event and relax. Also it helps get organized for coming final exams!
When I thought of my “beat”, one of my very good friends
came across my mind. His name is Ali Alshagrawi. He is from Saudi Arabia, and
sophomore in Avila University. His major is Advertising and Public Relations. I
met him almost two years ago when he transferred to Avila University from
Canada. I chose him to be my “beat” because he is such a unique person. He
always make people laugh and also he has a great leadership. When we hang out
with friends, he is the one who make plans and let people know about the event.
I was very interested in his roots and how he became the person who he is right
now, so I decided to interview him first.
Ali Alshagrawi
I asked him to introduce himself. He answered, “My name is
Ali Alshagrawi, 26 years old. I grew up in Saudi Arabia. I worked twice in my
life in a company called Samrif, and I used to work there as an operation man
for 2 years after my high school graduation. I’m a simple person, and I like to
be kind, happy, and I love my family.” And secondly, I asked him how come he
decided to come to the United States. He said, “I wanted to be an educated
person. Then I heard about education in the United States is great, so I made
some researches, and I heard from agent that I could come to Avila University.
I also heard from my friend that Avila University is a great school. This is
how I decided to come to the United States.” I asked him about his personality
next. I asked, “Were you a happy person all the time like now when you were a
child as well?” He said, “Yes. I was active and I loved playing with friends a
lot.” I asked him, “Is there any advice you got from your parents for living
your life?” He answered, “My parents advised me to be a good person, and be so
kind and good with people. And also work hard to achieve my goals and to have a
good future.”
Ali and his best friend Zeyad Alammar
After interviewing Ali, I decided to talk to one of Ali’s
best friend in Kansas City, Zeyad Alammar. He is a student at Avila University
also, and majoring Computer Science. I asked him how he met Ali for the first
time. He answered, “I met Ali like two years ago. He and I were taking a same
class together. We have so much in common, so we became close to each other
naturally.” Then I asked him, “What is Ali’s personality like to you?” He said,
“Well, Ali is a very respectful person, but at the same time, he is so funny. I
just like to chill with him.”
Next person I interview with is Salman Alghamdi, Radiologic
Science major. He is also an Avila student and one of Ali’s closest friends. I
asked him, “How did you meet Ali for the first time?” He said, “It’s been like
a year for now. We were at my friend’s house, and then I met him. We hang out
together for 2 weeks or something like that, and we became close to each other.
Then I asked him, “What is Ali’s personality like to you?” He answered, “He is
funny and so active, and whenever I need him, he just helps me. And he is like
the closest friend, and he is a good guy.”
This time, I decided to interview three people who have
different races. All three people are students at Avila University. The first
person I interviewed is Gabriella Garcia, 20-year-old nursing major. I asked
her first “What is your greatest fear?” She said, “My greatest fear would
probably be ending up alone. Like without family or without a husband or
without parents. Sometimes I think about it because people are focused on their
careers and they don’t have time for anybody else like other people in their
lives. So that is my greatest fear.” Then I asked her, “Which words or phrases
do you most overuse?” She answered, “I definitely say ‘bro’ too much, ‘dude’
too much. I say it to everybody even to my professors. But I do say it to my
friends a lot. Even to my parents sometimes and they don’t like that.” And she
laughed it out. I asked next question, “Which talent would you most like to
have?” She answered, “OMG. I would definitely love to be a performer, so
singing and dancing. I feel like music is so important and it gives you so much
freedom. I wish I had the talent to be able to do the right music.” I asked
her, “Is there any person that you would like to be?” She answered, “I think
about Alicia Keys or Beyoncé. They are so beautiful, so talented, and so smart.
I mean I admire them.” I asked her favorite music next. She said, “My favorite
kind of music is rap and R&B, and Drake is my favorite rapper.” Then I
asked her, “What is your favorite food?” She said, “Hmm… My favorite food…
well, anything my mom cooks is good. But I really really enjoy eating tostadas.
Tostadas are my favorite.” During this interview, she was wearing her favorite
t-shit, so I asked her why it is her favorite one. She said, “V-neck shirts are
my favorite. Because it’s so comfy and you can dress them up and dress them
down, and you can wear them with a lot of things.”
Next person I interviewed is Salman Bin Rawyah, 25-year-old,
and he is studying Software Engineering. First, I asked him, “What is your
greatest fear?” He said, “I think my
greatest fear is losing someone I love so much and I got to spend time with…
This is my greatest fear.” Then I asked him, “Who is your greatest love of your
life?” He answered, “I think my greatest love of my life is my mom because she
is always there for me, and gives me the best advice, and she cares about me
more than anybody else. So I’m sure that my mom is my greatest love of my
life.” I asked the final question to him, “Where would you like to live after
the graduation?” He said, “I’m not really sure. But there’s possibility to go
back to my country and have career, and get married.”
Last person I interviewed is Djoudy Saint Paul. His major is
Psychology/Pre-health. He is a good friend of mine. I have never taken same
classes with him, however, we became really good friends. He always hangs out
around Eagle’s Nest, and when I go there, I sit with him and talk about what is
going on in my life and his life. He is graduating from Avila University after
this spring semester. I asked him some of the 35 Proust Questions first. “What
is your idea of perfect happiness?” He said, “Yeah, my idea of perfect
happiness is peace. If someone has peace, then they will be happy. Without
peace, there is no happiness.” And I asked him, “If you could change on thing of
yourself, what would it be?” He answered, “That would be actually telling
people the truth. I tell people the truths whatever it is, and they get upset.
Because sometimes the truth hurts.” Then I asked, “What is your favorite apps?”
He said, “My favorite app is Facebook. Because I can post anything. And also,
‘Candy crush’. When I’m bored, I play with it, but I’m so bad at it. Yeah
that’s it.” And finally I asked him, “Why is that your favorite t-shirt?” He
answered, “Because this is very comfortable, and this is my favorite color
which is green. This was only t-shirt that I found with green and white
stripes, and I really like it.” He also mentioned that this was the second time
for him to wear that t-shirt. Because he doesn’t like to wear his favorite t-shirt
a lot. He likes to keep it in the closet, and keep it clean.
It was fun to interview my friends, because I could get to
know some stuff about them that I didn’t know before. They have their stories
behind of the favorite things, and I enjoyed listening to them.
