Please Don't STOP the Music

I LOVE to dance. I enjoy mainly hip-hop and modern ballet and jazz. I love dancing in my room. I love dancing at parties, in clubs, even while I'm walking to class. Sometimes I may look a little silly, so I try not to make it very obvious. Also, I love incorporating the lyrics of a song to the way I move with it. Dancing is so fascinating. It is a beautiful art that stimilates the mind, body, and soul. 

I don't know how I came to loving dancing so much. I always enjoyed it but it wasn't that big of a deal to me until my freshman year of high school. I used to take Jazz and Hip-Hop dance classes in my younger days. Still, I wasn't loving the sport. I thought it was fun and it kept me busy but it was definitely not a passion of mine. I knew I could dance but I didn't know how well I could dance. I didn't know if I looked graceful or if I was just average. Also, because I was always one of the "taller girls", I believed the stereotype of tall people not being able to dance well.
It wasn't until I saw the singer/ song writer, Ciara dance that I completely ignored that stereotype. Ciara is 5'11 and that woman can move. She inspired me with her dancing ability and technique. She is so fluent and she makes dancing look so easy. I would dance to her music in my room, behind closed doors and feel so good about it. I knew I could dance. Still, I didn't know if every one else would agree and I wasn't confident enough with my style of dancing to find out. I wanted to join another dance group to enhance my skills and confidence, but once I started high school, I did not have the time or the money. Because, I was still self-conscious about my dancing, very seldom would I dance. And when the attention was on me and people were chanting, "Go Olachi. Go Olachi", I would laugh it off and stop. That probably should have boosted my confidence and let me know that I was doing good but it did not. I thought people were chanting because they were my friends and did not want me to feel bad about how much I may have sucked. It wasn't until I came to Iowa State that I gained greater confidence in my dance talent and performance level. I guess it was the bass in the songs that night at the club that made my body rock. Moreover, I was just getting to know the people in the APEX group. I just let go and did what I thought looked good. If I looked bad, I would just say, "Oh, its a St. Louis style of dancing." Fortunately, I did not have to say that. Plus, Arielle was dancing beside me and she can dance, so I just followed her. By the end of the night, I knew I had "it". At least that's what I was told and that was all I needed to hear all along. I am not completely confident in my dancing skills but I am definitely getting there. Given more time and more practice I will gain absolute confidence. I just need to be less shy about trying new styles and techniques in front of a large crowd. I aspire to gain that absolute confidence and when I finally do, I will be begging: Please Don't STOP the Music.  

RunNiNg FOr My DeAr LiFe

I have never been so afraid in my life. It all happened around one o'clock Monday morning. I was typing my rhetorical analysis paper for English 150 in the fourth floor computer lab. I was so determined to finish typing so I could go to sleep, that I ignored the tapping on the hallway window of the computer lab. Nor was I curious enough to find out why everyone, and I mean everyone in the lab, besides me, either jumped up and ran out in to the hallway or said, "What the!" I figured they would just tell me what was going on when they came back. So I didn't bother getting up.
Suddenly, I had to use the rest room. I grabbed my cell phone, keys, and access card and opened the door. I took a glimpse to the left to see what all the commotion was about. There, I saw two people dressed in scary clown costumes. I started to smirk because I was thinking, "What nonsense is this? These people are so silly." I found it quite amusing. But the amusement was short lived. Seemingly out of nowhere came this guy dressed as Micheal Myers from the Halloween movie sequels.
Now let me give you some brief background information about me and this Micheal Myers character. When I was a lot younger, I watched one of those Halloween movies and I was traumatized by how scary Micheal Myers was in the movie. He went around killing innocent people with his knife or with his bare hands. Though he appeared human, but he was a monster in my eyes. I had nightmares for about a week and suffered from a little paranoia. I did not realize how much I was still afraid of this fictional character. Every time a new Halloween movie comes out, I go to see it. I thought I was completely over that fear, but apparently I am not.
I walked out the computer lab and when I saw the person dressed as Micheal Myers I screamed so loudly. I was not worried about anything or anyone, I just wanted to get away. I ran around the corner so fast, screaming hysterically for my dear life. I ran all the way down the hallway. I could hear people chasing and laughing at me. I pushed past the door of the staircase. All I was thinking about then was if I would have to run all the way outside, and believe me I was willing too.
I kept running until I could not hear anyone chasing after me. I opened the door to the second floor. I was so scared. Tears were rolling down my eyes. I was panicking and paranoia took over my conscious. I realized it was just a prank and giggled but I was still so afraid. I heard the elevator doors of the other hall open. I immediately started shaking because I thought, they were coming to chase me again, but no one came. When I reached the adjoining hallway, I peeped around the corner to make sure all was clear. Check. The hallway was completely empty. I walked to the other staircase and took my time walking back up to the forth floor. When I finally got there, I cracked the door open slowly and peeped through. I assumed the people who pulled the prank were still there, but the y weren't. I opened the door, walked back into the computer lab and laughed everything off with the others. All in all, it was a good prank. I don't think any of the people in the costumes even expected a reaction like that, but they got. I came to find out, the whole prank was video tapped and put on YouTube, titled "A Night at Eaton Hall." How funny is that?
"Yea, real funny stuff."

Racial Expessions

The names "Nigger" and "Chinch"are just a couple of racial insults people prefer to use when refering to others. I do not like to hear or use any of these words. However, as explained in the reading, these racial expressions will forever be used in society, as well as names like spic, beener, cracker, wetback, and hick. There are so many hurtful names expressed towards people. Just like in the reading, she expresses her sorrow and her feelings when she was called "Nigger" throughout her childhood.
I wish these insults would be erased from every persons vocabulary and replaced with words of encoragement but we do not live in a world that revolves that way. So I accept the words, I just do not accept the meaning behind them. I also do not accept the stereotypes that are based of these racial terms.
Stereotypes are harmful and create discriminative judgement on different races and ethnicities. There are so many stereotypes. It is ridiculous. And to think, many people actually by into them. I admit, I have believed some stereotypes in the past but now the "stereotypes" that I agree with aren't completely false. What I believe now is only because a majority of the people actually pertain to those statement.

Eyes on The Prize: The Civil Rights Movement

Amazement. The film Eyes on The Prize: The Civil Rights Movement is so inspiring. I view an assortment of people mentioned and featured in the film as heroes, such as Amzie Moore, Virginia Durr, Linda Brown, Mose Wright, Emmit Till, Mamie Till Brady, E. D. Nixon, Rosa Parks, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. These people stimulated great and innovative ways triggered towards ending the damaging and unjust ways of life of that time era. I am always amazed when I watch Civil Rights Movement films. The movement was so affective and intense. It is a true exhibit that when you or a group of people are immensely passionate about an issue or issues and you have the option of challenging the antagonist for change, change may be granted. The sorrow I witnessed in the eyes of people in the film forces me to understand more in depth and have a feel for how people experienced the struggle for civil rights. The fact that these people are so sorrow, yet are empowered with boundless hope is so heartbreaking and inspiring. I cannot even begin to think how scary it was to live in that era of inequality and discrimination. Followed by that, the conscious fear of deaths: murder, lynching, fires, along with the KKK parading would install on-going haunting worries.

Killing Me Slowly

Today I woke up with not even a hint of enthusiasm. July 17th was set to be a day filled with excitement, but my tired eyes would not by into that. Today should have been a bright day with a dark, yet exciting night. Instead, most of the day has been a total damper for me. I woke up extraordinarily tired. Surprisingly, sociology class wasn't as boring as usual. This is because we watch a video and autobiography about the four men who started the sit-in protest of the Civil Rights Movement. I love learning more and more about this era. It is so home-hitting and inspiring. But after class, the feeling of boredom overcame my usual and naturally enthused self. I kept planning out how I would enjoy the rest of my day but all I could think about was what assignments I had to do and what I was going to blog about. It is now nine p.m and I haven't done much of anything today, besides eat and sleep. Even when I got active with my second passion: dance, I wasn't myself. When I played the first song, I wasn't going to have a great workout. Inside I really wanted to finish creating the dance routine Arielle and I started but my body would not allow me too. This was frustrating so I just free-styled to get a little exercise in. After that, I got on the internet to watch funny videos on YouTube, hoping to liven my attitude up; and it did but then I had to go to dinner. That really killed my mood because I had to eat the same meal I've been eating every day since I've been on campus. I tell my friends and family this back home and they always ask, "Well, don't they have a variety of food you can choose from?" I tell them, "Yes. There is a variety; but it is a variety of the same food they cook every single day". So, I guess I'll be having hot wings and fries today, for the fifth time this week. After dinner I got even more bored with life because a lot people were going out and no one invited me, so I stayed home. Joe, Josh, and Leon were going to the state gym, so I decided to tag along. Well that wasn't much fun either because I don't know how to play basketball and all I could do was sit there and watch, until Leon twisted his ankle. I left shortly after he did. I didn't see a point of me being hot and bored while watching a few guys play basketball. If I want to be bored, I could do that by myself, in my dorm room. Walking back home, I decided I was going to blog about my boring day and how it has been killing me slowly. I am a very outgoing young lady so you can only imagine how alone and sad I was feeling. This Friday feels like a rat approaching death. The F in Friday stands for Fun. But Fun is not what I have been having. Hopefully, I'll wake up on the right side of the bed tomorrow. In the mean time, I'll post this blog, read a book, watch T.V, and/or just go to sleep after hoping for a better tomorrow.

Blown Away By Words

The video, In My Own Language begins with a person moving in constant, spiral motions. The setting takes place in the kitchen of someone’s home. There are no words to be read or heard. All you see is this person, who seems to have characteristics of a man, judging by the loose and comfortable the person is wearing and the short hair cut. Also, the front side of this seemly eerie and disturbed person is not revealed until later on in the video.

The video purposely directs its viewers to feel uneased by this person and their indifferent ways. The film shows the person repeatedly practicing what one may conclude as a ritual of some sort. All the viewer hears is humming from this mystery person, who is soon revealed as a woman.

In the beginning of the video, people assume she has some type of disorder because she doesn’t talk. She continues to hum through most of the video and performs unusual norms of the average person. We know she is the director of this unspoken documentary because it is a home video and at all times we see at least one hand, meaning the other hand is being used to hold the camera.

However, towards the end of the video, there is an explanation, titled: A Translation. The woman explains how she separates herself and her language from the norm. She refuses to change and is totally comfortable with herself. She is very intelligent and her diction is exceptional. The way she explains how people view her and others like her is powerful and intense and it really made me and the class reflect on how we view people. I actually was quite surprised by the film. I felt proud of her for being able to totally kill any and all negative thoughts people may have had towards her and completely silence and memorize them with her ingenuity.

Heated Dicussions

Whoo! What a heated discussion we had in class yesterday. The assignment was to capture and analyze the rhetoric in the video clip of basketball star, OJ Mayo. OJ Mayo is a new and outstanding player in the world of basketball. The video broadcasted information of him signing his first autograph at age eleven. He stared on a varsity basketball high school team while he was only in the seventh grade. Also, he received his first recruitment letter in the seventh grade from Marshall University. OJ Mayo is an impeccable player who inspires many. However, when I made the comment that I saw the video as more informal based, most of the people in the class were startled. Though, I do see where their point came across, I do not believe they saw mine. Maybe I came off too strong and didn't get them to realize what I was seeing in my eyes. The video did not motivate, encourage, or inspire me to do anything. I saw video more like one that was informing me of this basketball player and his impressive skills. I was proud and excited for him but not inspired. This is because I am not the biggest fan of basketball. I do enjoy going to the games. But I use them more as a social event to hang out with people. I do like basketball players, preferably men; but for other reasons. Rarely, do I ever sit down to watch any sport besides track and field. Now, don't get me wrong. I love sports and I enjoy watching some, but for various reasons. If OJ Mayo was a star track athlete, an interior designer and/or architect, I would have definitely been highly motivated and inspired. Yet, that is not what he is known for. I was amazed by his talents but I was not inspired by them. I am not saying he isn't or can not be an inspiration to others. He is just not an inspiration to me.
Another comment that stirred the class in defensive arguments was made by Mouktar. Mouktar stated that he hated to watch video clips like the one we were shown in class that day. Mouktar was simply implying that he did like the way the media and society broadcast African-Americans as mainly star athletes, but not much of anything else. Some people agreed with Mouktar, including myself. The conversation went on and on and took away from the assignment at hand. Walking home from class, the conversation started again. I supported Mouktar by saying that I wish to see, hear, and read about more minorities, meaning all races and ethnicities, women, children, the handicapped and the disabled doing great things in the world. I hope to see that being televised more than watching Cops or shows in that nature. But I am not the majority and majority rules. The truth is, like Josh said, most people want to read, see, and hear about the "bad stuff. It is more interesting". and I was told by another student that I should change it if I didn't want to see it or don't complain. All I could say was, "wow" to that. Seriously. How am I going to change the media by myself? It will definitely take mass objections to overcome something so overwhelming as the media. I can state my opinion. I may have supporters. But it will all come down only to being another heated discussion.

Literary Analyses

The literary analyses assignment was more of a challenge than I assumed. I am definitely one who likes to talk and get her point across. So staying in the 175-200 word count got to be a little frustrating. I had to take out so many words and good points to sum up the reading, "The Empire of Images In Our World of Bodies" . The text was interesting and I understand its purpose. I hope mothers and young ladies and/ or girls will get a chance to read the article and utilize the message it is sending.
When I wrote my analyses on "The Empire of Images In Our World of Bodies", I had so much to say with so little words. Yet, I stuck to the guildlines written in the Norton Field Guide to Writing. On page 141, the book refers to writing a brief rhetorical analyses by identifying the purpose, the audience, the stance, and the design of the reading. The reading, " The Empire of Images In Our World of Bodies", was written in primarily for women, mothers, and young girls to disregard what they view on television if it will cause them negative views of themselves. The audience was the mothers and the text was very interesting to read so I tried to match my analyses.

My 4th of July Weekend

Celebrating Independence Day: The 4th of July in Ames, Iowa was in definite contrast to how I celebrate it in my hometown St. Louis, Mo. I expected the day to be really boring and dragged, especially since forty out of fifty students that live on the same floor as me went home for the holiday. I spent my holiday with my newfound friends, Shaynetta best know as Shay and Jared. We had a great time. It was nothing like being at home with my family but our day was spent well.
First, we left our rooms too late and to go to lunch, so we missed the parade. Instead, we walked around a park and enjoyed the view of children laughing and jumping on inflatable floats and a local band singing old tunes on stage.
I noticed most people were not wearing the traditional red, white, and blue colors to celebrate the holiday. That made me question, are we no longer proud to be Americans and why are we out here? Are we all here only to socialize and eat free bar-be-que? I came to the conclusion that some Americans are not completely proud of their nation and its' ways. I too, am associated with that group. I definitely am not pleased with the nations' status or progress but I still celebrate the fact that I am an American and I celebrate Independence Day by wearing red, white, and blue and eating bar-be-que and chips. Hold the watermelon because I hate those.
After the park outing, Shay, Jared, and I went to the mall. I found a really cool pair of shoes but I didn't leave the dorm with money so I had to go back another day to purchase them. We spent an hour or two at the mall then we headed back to the dorms. A few hours later Jared came banging on my door so we could get some free BBQ. The three of us, plus a few other APEX students went to the picnic, ate BBQ, danced a little, played football, and headed back home. We did our homework for a while then we headed back out to watch the fireworks at ten. The fireworks exhibition at Stuart Smith Park was exciting and afterwards we ordered To-Go platters from Long John Silvers.
The day was well spent but it could have been topped off with a night/ morning of dancing at one of the local clubs. Unfortunately, that did not happen because both Jared and Shay are underage. So I ended my night babysitting, but all is well because they are both pretty cool people to hang out with.

Controversy and Identity: Who We Are as Americans

Last weeks’ class was very engaging. We began with a discussion about the story “Lottery”, which in itself was interesting. The tone of the story was mellow at the beginning. The story is very slow and progressive with a suspensful and one may say unpredictable climax to end with. The reading was based on the ritual of stoning a person to death in New York every summer on June 27th beginning at 10am in a small village.
Most of us students wondered why the people in the story celebrated this day like a holiday. The characters in the story did not even know why they did it. Joseph revealed out a great point that relates to most people now. Most people do not know why they praise who they praise. For example, a young christian child may not know why he or she praises God. If you ask him/her, their answer would probably be “because my mother said I was and I go to this church because my mom told me I had too.” People do things and go places because someone else asked or told them it was the right way to go. So the people in the story can’t be blamed for continuing what may be seen as a tradition in there eyes.

It was astonishing to see how we went from a class disussion about the reading to controversial issues within our own nation. I have always questioned why America feels the need to get involved with every other nation and their issues but not control the issues we have here at home: the poor, uninsured, unemployed, the homeless and hungry, etc. If the government is going to get involved with unnessary matters, they could at least be to benefit the people in need and who seek help. Also, we have to make certain that the aid we provide goes to those ppl and not dilomatic or dictating ties.

Train Time Analyses

The passage highlights the interaction between the main characters, Major and Eneas. In class I sat back to listen and grasp how other students interpreted the reading. I commented on occasions but I was surprised to witness such controversy or difference of opinion on the text. The question still prowls upon us: Is Major a bad person with cruel intentions or is he a sadden soul, who is just “doing his job”. Initially, I assumed Major was a good hearted person that was obligated to do an evil task. By the end of the discussion, I viewed him differently; as one of the students pointed out evidence in the reading that he was “trying to reach the quota”. I am glad we had this discussion because it gave me a new look about the passage. Now I feel as if Major was only telling Eneas what he wanted to hear in order to reach that quota. At the end of the story, Eneas’s grandparents die. The promise made between him and Major was not kept. Eneas did indeed have to worry about his family because Major did not and he was not going to a better place. History shows boarding schools were not equal to living the lavish life for young, Native American children, especially for Eneas because he is such a frail but brave, strong, and daring child. With all the chaos that occured in boarding schools, my guess is that Eneas would not be one to give up his culture too quickly.

The Native American Experience

Visit the posted sites below I have listed below to learn more the history and the Native American Experience.
http://www.nativeamericans.com/
http://www.americanwest.com/pages/indians.htm
www.pbs.org/indiancountry/history/assimilation.html

American Mosaic: Multicultural Readings in Context

The whole idea of manifest destiny and why Americans feel they have divine right to control whomever and whatever may be appalling to some. In the reading “American Mosaic”, the history of Native Americans and their relations with European Americans is depicted. The reading opens with a stanza of a poem created by James Welch titled, “Plea to Those Who Matter”. The irony of the poem identifies ways in which American Indians were forced to leave their traditional values and customs to be substituted with the European American way of life. The setting takes place in the ninetinth century on the eastern fronts of what today is known as, America. The reading provides imagery of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 in which the natives were forced from their lands through federal power and placed east of the Mississippi River to a designated “Indian Territory”. Acts like this, the Trail of Tears, and the Dawes Act of 1887 expose certain characteristics of the European settlers, which ultimately generated various stereotypes of the American people. It is hard to understand how the Europeans believed it was okay to settle over sea onto another persons’ land, act friendly towards them, kill them off with diseases they had not been immune to, and seize their land. Under the theory that Native Americans are savages that need to be “americanized”, the Europeans took children starting from the ages five through sixteen away from their homes and families and ripped them from all customs and traditions they had once knew. Those beliefs and values were soon subsitituted with “the American Way” or “the Christian Way”. The young native children were brainwashed and deprived from living life how their mothers and fathers did. This method of “americanization” lasted up until the late 1860s. Even so, Native Americans were not granted citizenship until 1924. Today many will say the Native American culture is “forever lost”. The native children were brainwashed. All they learned was the American religion, the American style of clothing, learning, eating, and the American way of living. Therefore, all the teachings they passed on to their children, were what they learned as a child. So many people of native american decent know close to nothing about their heritage and have little culture values behind their beliefs because they were brainwashed and taken away before they had even taken their first breath.