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.