Event #4: UNC Student Organization

Last week I attended a Club Track and Field meeting. This meeting was regarding their elections for their organizations leaders and to talk a bit about the program for next year. I wanted to run for the club track team this semester, but was unable to and have been a bit out of the loop. However, I have friends that run on the team and they suggested that I come.

For the most part, most of the positions were already decided. However, for the position of president there were three candidates who spoke. One was a female and then there were two males who wanted to run for president. Their different choices in rhetoric spoke to difference audiences and gave off a different tone. The first candidate was a joke. In fact, he wasn't even there. Another member of the team spoke on his behalf. He spoke about the person barely attending workouts and how he'll probably be on the varsity team next year. The audience was meant to be those who see the group as joke, but for the audience that took the club seriously, he was not presented as the candidate for him. The next person had a rhetoric that displayed him as an intelligent and capable person. However, his audience spoke more to the long distance runners. He promised to help them out more, completely ignoring the sprinters. The third candidate gave a similar rhetoric to the last person. However, her audience was far broader. She spoke to all of the partcipants of the club team. She wanted to improve relations between distance and sprinters and to keep the team more uniform and cohesive.

This meeting added to my experience to UNC because being interested in the club, I would like to know if I were to join again that it would be in the hands of the right person. Also, it was nice to see how an organization is run. The group seemed to have a very friendly atmosphere with people who genuinely cared about the sport. To see that there is a place in which I could feel comfortable around campus and be around people who have the same interests as myself was very positive. It is nice to find a niche in any large campus, and the UNC Club Track and Field team provided an option for my niche at UNC

Event #3: Sporting Event

Two weeks ago I went to the Joe Hilton UNC Track and Field Invitiational. As a track athlete in high school, I was thoroughly excited to attend a track meet at the collegiate level. The invitational had teams from all over, even from my own state. Unfortunately that team was Michigan State. I'm sure they weren't too happy to be at our track so short after their miserable loss to us in the NCAA basketball finals. However, I have friends that run for Michigan State so it was nice to see them compete and as a UNC student, it was nice to see how our runners match up in comparison to other schools.

The track meets are what I expected in a sense. Much like in high school, track meets are bit more low key than other sports such as basketball and football. Unlike the masses that attend basketball and football games, only true track and field enthusiasts attend, or friends of the competitors who come for the event and then leave. There isn't a student section, with Carolina fever students who paint their bodies and yell various UNC chants. There are no cheerleaders who get the crowd pumped up, because unless its a really big meet, there isn't too much of a crowd. However, in my opinion, track and field is one of the most exciting sports you can watch and the lack of attendance just gives me more of an opportunity to watch these powerful, agile, and ridiculously fast athletes perform.

The meet had no clear cut team dominating, but for most of the events, Michigan State, UNC, and UNC Greensboro seemed to be the in the forefront. For me, the most enjoyable events to watch are the sprint events. 100m, 200m, 4x1, 400m, and 4x400 are all extremely exciting races for their own reasons. The pure speed of the athletes is truly astounding. Its crazy to me how they can possibly move that quickly. This meet was slightly odd because they had the sprint events on the backstretch for some of the sprint events because of the wind would've created a skewed result. The conclusion of the meet was the most exciting. 4x400, which ends most meets, ended up between MSU and UNC.....UNC had the lead for the first two runners, but then the 3rd leg runner of MSU was just beastily....he took off extremely fast and hawked down one of our runners and even surpassed him. It was not looking good for us. However, are anchor leg caught up with the anchor leg of the MSU team and we ended up taking it the win. Suck on that again MSU. It was so exciting...on the last turn of the 400 with the anchor runners, the members of the UNC and MSU team were there, cheering their teammates on. The MSU tried to cheer over us, but our TARRR-HEEEEL chant masked their feeble chanting. Go UNC!

I was really glad that I attended this meet. What it showed me was how specific events appeal to specific audiences. As I mentioned before, track and field is not as popular as football and basketball. With that, the events tend to be more specific to a particular audience. In order to be apart of the track and field audience, you must have an understanding of what makes track and field such an exciting sport. While it may seem like people are just running, the excitement comes from watching and speculating who is going to pull through an event. A large part of track is mental. You have to believe that you can in fact hold your pace and get the person in front of you. Some people take out too fast, and lose mentally and are surpassed in the end. Or you have that one runner that upsets everything, and pulls out all that they have at the end for the win. Nonetheless, a true track and field audience understands this. Along with a specific audience, track and field has its own kind of discourse. With its own rules and terminology, it can be difficult to understand what is going on or understand the conversations of those around you. For example, if you listen to the people in the audience, they often times will talk about a persons's turnover or stride, which in comparing to other runners may possibly determine who might pull through in the end.

As a UNC student, I was glad to attend. It added to my college experiences because I got to get yet another glimpse into UNC sports, which is a large aspect of UNC. Our athletes are defininetly strong, honorable and respectable athletes. To get the opportunity to watch them run was definently a privelage and a high point of my freshman year.

Final Feeder 3.1

The Detrimental Effects of Outdated and Misinterpreted Tradition

The price of outdated and misinterpreted tradition can potentially be a high one. For some, the price of upholding those traditions overrides their own happiness or even in some instances, takes away their lives. In the South, many lay prey to the potential price of traditions such as the Confederacy and marriage. Those traditions, once meant to evoke pride and honor, serve in contemporary times as a grievance to those who attempt to uphold them. As seen in the texts, Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz and Drawing Names by Bobbie Ann Mason, outdated, misinterpreted traditions such as the Confederacy and marriage serve to be detrimental and devastating to those who the tradition no longer proves as pertinent.
In the chapter Cats of the Confederacy, Horowitz gives an account of the southern tradition of upholding the Confederacy in Salisbury, North Carolina. In his account of Salisbury, he describes a married couple, Sue and Ed Curtis, who religiously uphold the tradition of the Confederacy. Sue, head of the local chapter of United Daughters of the Confederacy, and Ed, member of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans, commit their lives for the continuance of the Confederacy. As said in the Sons of the Confederate Veterans pledged allegiance, Sue and Ed, “...salute the Confederate with flag affection, reverence and undying devotion to the Cause for which it stands,” (Horwitz 23-24). Their salute to the rebel flag, Confederate flag, is symbolic of their devotion to the Confederacy; their devotion to tradition. Their devotion of upholding the tradition of the Confederacy is a result of pride in their family history. When asked by Horowitz why she felt Southerners still cared about the Civil war, Sue replied, “The answer is family. We grow up knowing who’s once removed and six times down. Northerners say, ‘Forget the War, it’s over.’ But they don’t have the family Bibles we do, filled with all these kinfolk who went off to war and died. We’ve lost so much,” (Horwitz 26). This pride in family and the sacrifice for the cause they gave during the Civil War causes for southerners like Sue to uphold the tradition of the Confederacy without acknowledging the beliefs that the Confederacy stood for. The Confederacy, which ones stood for the continuance of slavery, has become an outdated (with the end of the Civil War and loss of the Confederacy) and misinterpreted tradition, and is now synonymous with pride, courage, and sacrifice of family for “the Cause”.
This blind loyalty to tradition without understanding the true connotations of the Confederacy prove to be detrimental, causing for racial tensions and devastating repercussions. While the rebel flag may represent pride in their family for their involvement in the Civil war to white southerners such as Sue and Ed, the African Americans of the town see it is an insult and representative of enslavement. As stated by Michael King, the young preacher of Salisbury’s African American church, “Remember your ancestors […] but remember what they fought for too, and recognize it was wrong,” (Horwitz 44). The difference in perspective of the tradition of the Confederacy causes for racial tension. In the chapter Dying for Dixie, the racial tension that occurs from a white young man’s misinterpretations of tradition results in the loss of his life. Due to the presence of the rebel flag on his truck, Michael Westerman was shot and killed. While many maintained that he was an avid Confederate, the truth of the matter was he truly did not believe in traditional, Confederate interpretation of the rebel flag. According to Sarah, Michael Westerman’s wife’s sister, “The flag was a symbol of him […] He was a rebel, a daredevil, outspoken. He’d do anything,’ (Horwitz 108). The presence and importance of the flag passed down to Westerman through tradition and not maintain its original meaning. Furthermore, the shooter Freddie Morrow as well did not know what the true meaning of the flag was.
What exactly did the flag mean to him? Freddie shrugged and looked at me impassively. ‘I thought it was just the Dukes of Hazzard sign […] After moving to Guthrie, he gradually began to sense whites’ attachment to the flag and blacks’ hostility toward what they considered a symbol of slavery […] To him, the banner was simply something whites knew black hated. He suspected whites brandished the flag as sort of a schoolyard taunt, ‘just doing it out of spite, to see what we would do’”
(Horwitz 116)
As Freddie spent more time in the South, he learned that the flag symbolized not as a rebel cause, but as perpetuation of the enslavement of his people and as instigation. Whether the tradition of the Confederacy, as symbolized by the rebel flag was misinterpreted (as seen through Westerman), or no longer served a purpose or was appropriate in modern day (as seen through Morrow), serves as unimportant . The importance although are the consequences of that misinterpretation. For Michael Westerman, it meant the end of his life via death and for Freddie Morrow, the end of his life via jail-two devastating consequences of tradition.
Though the detrimental effects of outdated and misinterpreted tradition are not seen through racial tensions, Bobby Ann Mason’s Drawing Names shows the detrimental effects of tradition through marriage. As prominent as upholding the Confederacy is a tradition in southern culture, marriage as well proves as a perhaps even stronger southern tradition. To be married, and to maintain ones marriage at all costs, even one’s own happiness, is highly revered in southern culture. In Drawing Names, a family rich in southern culture, the father dislike of the protagonist Carolyn Sisson’s divorce is expressed, “He was a shy man, awkward with his daughters, and Carolyn knew he had been deeply disappointed over her failed marriage although he had never said so,” (Mason 93). Due to the intensity of the tradition, Carolyn’s sister Iris’ faked being happy in her marriage in order to uphold the tradition for her parents. “Ray and me’s [Iris] getting a separation […] The thing of it is, I had to beg him to come today, for Mom and Dad’s sake. It’ll kill them. Don’t let on, will you?” (Mason 98). The importance of upholding the tradition transcends Iris’ own happiness, so much in fact that she is willing to put on a façade for her parents who belief strongly in tradition. The tradition of upholding her marriage no longer proves as advantageous and is actually detrimental. In order to keep up the appearance of a happy marriage and hide her separation for the sake of tradition, Iris suffers through unhappiness and even lies to her own family.
The price of upholding outdated and misinterpreted tradition proves to be a costly and futile. Through the texts Confederates in the Attic and Drawing Name, happiness and even one’s own life are sacrificed for the preservation of traditions that do not necessarily reflect the present. Those traditions, meant to retain the importance and meaning that they were once associated with such as a belief in marriage, now serve to place pressure on the individuals whose lives no longer reflect those traditions and ultimately prove to be a disservice to the individuals involved.



Works Cited
Horwitz, Tony. Confederates in the Attic. New York: Vintage, 1998
Mason, Bobby Ann. Shiloh and other Stories. New York: Harper and Row c1982

Feeder 3.1 Rough Draft

Across a variety of cultures, various traditions can be found. While these traditions are often times revered, many times those same traditions may cause tension. The tension that occurs from tension is a result of the pressure of maintaining traditions within a culture and the desire to change those traditions that are often outdated, misinterpreted and no longer is advantageous. As seen in the text, Cats of Confederacy and Dying for Dixie by Tony Horowitz and Drawing Names by Bobbie Ann Mason, outdated, misinterpreted traditions serve to be detrimental and devastating to not only personal situations, but Southern culture in general.
In Horowitz’s texts, Cats of Confederacy and Dying for Dixie, the preservation of outdated traditions leads to severe racial tensions and eventual shooting in the South. In Cats of Confederacy, Horowitz comes by the town, Salisbury, North Carolina, and discovers that many of the townspeople still uphold the traditions of the Confederacy. Through meetings and organizations such as United Daughters of the Confederacy, the beliefs of the South are still upheld. These are a people who care very deeply for the “rebel cause” and in the “war between the states”. Traditional Confederate symbols such as the rebel flag remain very much so upheld in their culture. This tradition is then passed on to their children into organizations, such as Children of the Confederacy.
The tradition of maintaining the Confederacy that is upheld does not necessarily maintain the same connotations that it once did. For example, in Dying for Dixie, Michael Westerman is shot and killed over the rebel flag, a symbol of the Confederacy. While many maintained that he was an avid Confederate, the truth of the matter was however he truly did not know what the flag meant. The tradition of maintaining the Confederacy and symbols of the Confederacy had been so blindly upheld and outdated, that its true meaning was lost over time. The shooter, Freddie Morrow, as well did not know what the true meaning of the flag was.
What exactly did the flag mean to him? Freddie shrugged and looked at me impassively. ‘I thought it was just the Dukes of Hazzard sign’, he said. The Dukes of Hazzard was a popular TV show that featured a car decorated with the rebel flag. Growing up in Chicago, that’s all Freddie had known about the Confederate Banner
(Horowitz 116)
This tradition over time became outdated and severely misinterpreted. Two people who truly did not understand the importance or meanings behind the traditions believed or fought against them, and ended up ruining their lives.
Traditions are often times outdated and misinterpreted. When that occurs, they are more hurtful than what they may have originally intended.

Rachel and the South-Autobiography 2

Southern hospitality is a notion that I am beginning to become much more accomstomed to. When I first came here, I wasn't aware of perhaps how impersonal the North can be at times. After meeting a few people, I was not aware that if I did not say hello to them, especially in a overly friendly manner in passing that I was being rude. Where I'm from, you just don't don't really say hello to somebody you may have met once, or had a brief conversation with if you see them in passing. It's just.....awkward, and most people don't do it. Those who do are often considered really considerate and nice people, but definently out of the norm. Down here however, I had people act as though I was extremely rude and had no manners....it's not that I'm incapable of being polite or am rude, it was just something I wasn't used to. Along the same lines of saying hello to people in passing that I barely know, I was completely unaware of how friendly some people are down here to people that they do not know at all. Often times on buses, bus stops, or in stores, i will have random people ask me me my name, where I go to school...just strike up conversation. The first couple times that this happened to me, I was startled and felt incredibly uncomfortable. At home, people rarely did that, and when they did, they received an odd look, a look of like...why are you talking to me. It was really difficult for me to try and speak to those strangers without seeming really awkward and uncomfortable.

However, the longer I am down here, the more I have come to appreciate those certain customs. I have had a couple days where I was just in a terrible mood, and having a pleasant conversation with someone who, even though I didn't know them and probably didn't care about who I was, asked me my name and how was I doing. I can definently appreciate the sincerity in southern hospitatlity.

Dying for Dixie

This particular chapter in the novel was difficult to read. Perhaps I have been too sheltered, but I could never imagine the kind of racial turmoil that was described in Guthrie. Both sides, the blacks and the white confederates, had so much hatred and pride that it was hard to digest. To have the nerve, regardless of the reason, to display a confederate flag in front of a group of black people is disgusting. While some there were people who claimed that Michael just liked the color and it matched his truck, it is hard for me to believe that somebody who was from that area could truly not know the implications of the Confederate flag. Maybe it doesn't boil down to not understanding the implications of what the Confederate flag means to the black race that bothers me so much. Perhaps it is the blatant disregard for the implications of what that flag means that bothers me the most. And on another note, while I can understand the pain that Freddie may have felt from seeing the flag and the racial slur used against him, to take the life of another person over it is not acceptable. Everything that occured because of the shooting did not seem acceptable at all. An tragic event that occurred was exploited for the advancement of the KKK and other white supremists. The transformation of Westermen from an ignorant redneck to a full fledged Confederate, another one lost for the war that is still going on is beyond dispicable in my eyes. Guthrie seems like a town boiling with racial tension and agendas just waiting to be let loose for the sake of protecting the life of the Confederacy. For protecting and further perpetuating ignorance, violence, propaganda.....everything ugly that racism has to offer.

Guthrie is not a normal time. It is hard for me to think that Horowitz could have skewed the town to make it Guthrie appear as something else.....

This chapter was difficult.

Event 2: Lecture-Walter Michaels

Last thursday, my First Year Seminar attended a lecture by Walter Michaels. Walters Michaels is a literary theorist. He has taught at prestigious universities such as John Hopkins, Berkeley, and University of Illinois at Chicago. He is currently a professor of English at the University of Illinois at Chicago. For his lecture, he spoke about neoliberalism in universities. Well, thats what I suppose that's what he was advertised to be speaking about. To be perfectly honest, for a large majority of his lecture, I had no idea what he was talking about. Being premed and not having the slightest interest in anything political or in relation to the issues we have in our country that have to do with ten dollar words such a neoliberalism or any of those big-ism words, I didnt have the sufficient background information to truly understand what he was talking about. I would find myself beginning to understand, but just as I would begin to understand, he would segue into something else.

However, what his lecture boiled down to was he feel that in our nation we have placed our class disparity issues in the wrong area. He feels as though we have spent a multitude of time researching gender, race, and ethnic groups in order to understand how prejudice and discrimination have lead to our class disparity. The true issue, he feels, is in our economy. As an capitalist economy, it makes it difficult for the impoverished to raise in the economy. Essentially those who are poor stay poor, and those that are rich continue to stay rich because they are rich. In his mind, in our economic structure, there can be no upward mobility. Classes stay in their own classes, or become greater in their own class area. The poorer become more poor, and the rich become more rich. He feels that our countries preoccupation with theories such as the minority model and gender, race and ethnic studies does not solve the problem, but further perpetuate it, leaving the problem unresolved. At the conclusion of his lecture, two Asian studies teacher began an argument with him over the logistics of his theory. In his theory paper (which was read in verbatim for the lecture) he used asian studies as an example. He compare different texts within asian literature to further prove his point. The asian studies professors felt that his logistics did not prove his theory, and actually proved the reasons that he tried to prove so feverently against.

As the two parties argued against one another, I found myself becoming more angered at both of them actually. Perhaps I'm just simpleminded and am unable to see the true issues in our country are really centered around those big-ism words. Although, I couldn't help but think that all of those reasons for which both parties made for the class disparity in our country are simply copouts theorized by people who have never experienced what they preach. I've been raised in a household where issues of class, race, gender, etc are all preoccupations that do not ultimately affect how successful you are. You simply do not let those preoccupations monopolize your life and just do what you have to do in order to be successful and get where you need to be. According to Michaels theory and the theories of the asian studies professors, a person like my mother would never be where she's at. From the asian studies professors, she is a double minority-a black, female. From Michaels perspective, she was born in poverity. With that equation, she was essentially screwed. Discrimination would have stopped her or the nonexistance of upward mobility would have stopped her. But it seems as though my mother, a black female born into poverty managed to raise to a higher class, achieved a high education required, high salary and highly respectable job in medicine (my mother is an anesthesiologist). How? My mother is quite possibly one of the hardest working women who doesn't allow preoccupations of gender, race, class, etc to define or constrict her. She was focused on her goal and achieved what she needed in order to become the person she had imagined herself to be.

Perhaps I'm too simple to truly understand. Perhaps my mother is an anomoly. However, what I took away from that lecture was just another preoccupation and blame for laziness and negative attitudes in our nation. We continue to place blame on things that we have supposedly transcended or surpassed. It seems as though we haven't and continue to place the values that built our country on the backburner.

I'm actually glad that I attended that lecture. It served as a fruitful experience I've had in college. It first off introduced me to a discourse community that I am foreign to. Although I could not really understand what exactly he was talking about, the rhetoric and diction he used was truly astounding. Just the way he phrased his argument made him seem highly educated and that he was important. The argument between Michaels and the Asian studis professors showed just how eloquent that discourse community is, and just how well the utilize the English dictionary. Also, it also made me realize that just how difficult is it to understand a theory or discussion from a discourse community that you essentially have no part in. I needed a "Neoliberalism and other Big-ism Words For Dummies" book. The lecture also added to my college experience by further stressing the ideals taught to me by my mother. I often find that out on my own here, I have forgotten or neglect the ideals taught to me by mother. On this college campus, it has been easy to give into the ideals of others because of the lack of presence of parents. Everything is so new and interesting, that is quickly replaces what you may have been taught in the past. While new and interesting is good, there is still a base that is necessary. That base has generally been constructed by your parents and will ultimately give you success in college. By listening to that lecture, I could have left feeling disheartened. however, it reminded me of the lessons taught by my mother and those will prove as the basis for success in college.

Rachel and the South

Hi. I'm a Northern, born and raised in Michigan!

My relationship with the South is, in a sense, just beginning. Having been raised in the North, I was firstly (and obviously) not truly aware of culture because I was, well....not there. Secondly, my information about the South has been up to this point the generalized notions that have been perpetuated by the South. Some of those generalizations include;
1. Southern Hospitality
2. Southern food=greasy, filled butter and an overabundance of sugar in any drink
3. Overbearing Christianity (Bible Belt)
4. Southern dialect aka southern twang
5. Rural lifestyle
5. Conservative viewpoints
6. Slower paced and simpler lifestyle
With all of generalizations, my friends from home had no idea why I would want to go to a school in a state with a culture so completely different from the one I was so used to. I suppose a part of me has always found the South an interesting entity. While the North has its own set of generalizations, they aren't as interesting as the generalizations and stereotypes placed upon the South. Also, I never could understand some of the perspectives seen by Southerners, so I suppose some part of me was interested in finding out just where these perspectives came from. With an opportunity to leave and immerse myself in a culture that has always intrigued me, I took it an ran with it. Hello South, here I come!-was my attitude.

My first experience I want to talk about is the o so popular southern twang...

I must admit when I first arrived I was not prepared for what I experienced. I had always had my notions about the Southern culture, but to experience it is completely different. I can remember many of the first conversations with people, I almost could not believe what I heard. Some of the accents I heard were almost complete replicas of every stereotypical southern accent I had heard while at home. Sometimes I felt as though I was speaking a different language because I literally could not understand what they were saying or did not know what in the world they were talking about. Food Lion? Hush puppies? Southern colloqualisms and phrases.....huh? It made me feel slow sometimes. I was also not used to having an accent. However, at times when people told me I had an accent, I wanted to say....right...listen to yourself talk, but that isn't the nicest thing. One thing I did realize though was that the southern twang is not universal. It really does depend on what area in the state you are from. Some inhabitants of North Carolina have essentially no twang.

Cats of Confederacy

As I read Cats of Confederacy, I couldn't help but feel completely alienated. When it comes to the subject of the South, I am of course not personally included in the culture. However, it did not occur to me until reading Cats of Confederacy just how alienated I am. If being from the North was not alienation enough, when speaking about the South, especially in regards to the Civil War, I am yet again not personally included in the culture. As an African American, while the war was essentially about my ancestors and my ancestors were involved in the war, they never truly had a voice. The war was about my ancestors freedom, but as the war went on my ancestors were still enslaved and the freedom to truly act was not there.

With that said, reading Cats of Confederacy as a complete outsider was completely shocking to me. The preoccupation with legitimizing your geneology through involved in the "rebel cause" I found to be completely absurd. I can understand how Southerns felt more of the pain of the war, due to the fact that for the most part the war took place in the South-causing for the complete ramifications of war and even after the war to hit even harder, and the ratio of soldiers lost in the South to soldiers lost in the North was far greater (1 in 4 for Southerners, 1 in 10 for Northerners). I suppose as the "winners" of the war, it is harder to feel the devastation. However, as expressed by the black preacher at the end Michael King, it is one thing to remember your ancestors; however, what those Southern confederate enthusiasts might forget in the process of remembering and feeling proud for the bravery of their ancestors was what in fact they were fighting for. They weren't fighting the North and the North was fighting in the war the war not because up north we are, as i've heard many times down here, a bunch of crazy, left winged liberals. As much as some of those enthusiasts (and I stress enthusiasts...I understand that not every Southerner holds this opinion) would like to refute that the "true" cause of the "war between the states" (to add insult to injury to the war as I may add) was not due to slavery, the reality of the situation is the South DID leave because of the election of Abraham Lincoln who did not except the wrongs of slavery. This "Northern Victory" (which is truly be called an antislavery victory) resulted in the sucession of the states that were to later call themselves the Confederacy. They knew they had a president that no longer supported slavery and would work to abolish it, so they removed themselves from the nation. So, they were in fact fighting over slavery. Slavery which is a disgusting part of our history, seeping in the Southern cultures veins. The North fought because slavery is wrong, along with leaving your country, and leaving your in order to continue your wrong doings. So, to honor the "rebel cause" is essentially slapping the faces of those who fought for the right cause and a slap in the face of those directly affected by the war. You advocating something that is inherently evil. That pride in the "rebel cause" that the written about in the Cats of Confederacy is something that really should be seen as shameful. Those men who fought for the South I'm sure were not devoid of good qualities such as honor, pride, bravery, etc. However, those qualities were placed in a cause that is disgusting.

What I took from the reading was that a distinction needs to be made. It is one thing to honor your ancestors and their bravery, but to support them fully by taking a blind eye to what they truly fought for and in essense advocate and support it is another. Those southern enthusiasts that were depicted are taking support and honoring their genealogy to a completely different level. Raising confederate flags, holding resentment toward Northerners, and holding secretive parties that honoring the birthdays of Lee and Jackson simply perpetuates wrong and evil attitudes of the old South. To then pass it onto your children, causing for them to memories completely absurd texts such as the Catechism just passes on that wrong, evil and skewed perspective. If a little girl, no older than 12 can see the wrong it...everybody else should

Microculture Observation 3

This microculture was studied in Hardin again, but in one of seminar study rooms. These rooms have more tables and chairs to sit on, 2 white boards, and a projector screen to utilize. Unlike the other study rooms, this room isnt visited as frequently. When people entered this particular study room, the feeling was different. In other study rooms where it felt like individual people were studying and bothered by strangers, the people who came into the seminar study rooms were in a group. Instead of avoiding social contact, the people utilizing the study room were seeking to study and interact with one another. The group consisted of 6 girls and one guy. The group sat at the table together, and all had some kind of work to do. 4 of girls had mutual work to do, and were sharing ideas back and forth with one another. The other two girls and guy had their lap tops up, and were doing seperate work, but still taking part in the conversation. Each person seemed to being doing their work, but also casually talking and joking with one another at the same time. This casual work went on for about 30 minutes. After that time period, one of the girls in the group mentioned how she really needs to focus and get her work done. After the one girl mentioned that, the entire groups seemed to get more quiet. 3 of six other girls in the room proceeded to put on their headphones, and stopped fully interecting with the other people in the room. While they werent blatantly ignoring one another, the people in the group seemed to be making it a point to not have a conversation with one another unless they had a question regarding their work. The one guy in the room even moved to another table, where he was alone. During the time when the group was quiet, the people seemed much more invested in what they were doing than when they were casually doing work. After about 20 or 25 minutes of doing work, one of the girls of the group began another conversation about Sororities, and the group members seemed became invested once more in ther conversation and not their work.

Observational Blog 2

For this observation, I interviewed two people who frequently study in study rooms.

The question I asked were
Does the person prefer to study alone in a study room? If so, why?
What lengths will you go to be alone in a study room?
At what point will you study with a stranger in the room?
How do you feel when you study with a stranger in the room (assuming this is a person you do not know)?
How would you feel about striking conversation with that stranger/being forced to speak or interact?

Person 1:
-Yes: Can concentrate better and are away from the distraction of your room and other people
-You'll search every room on your floor and other floors of the dorm for an empty study room
-When there is absolutel no study room that is empty
-Feel awkward and that you have to be more quiet than usual
-Not too bad, or akward. Because, if I had to speak to them I would just do it because it was necessary

Person 2:
-Yes: It feels awkward and the room is already in use for something else, and are interrupting/disturbing the other person
-Would search until you found another one. Would leave another building to find an empty room, would even sit outside a room until other people left (has actually done that)
-When there are no other rooms left and there is no time to spare looking for another room
-Unwelcomed, awkward and tense. Like you have to be really quiet
-Wouldnt mind speaking to the person in the room, and would prefer to not initiate it. Would initiate only if they made some kind of sign to speak (such as eye contact)

Observation of Microculture

Quick change in microcultures, I’m now observing people who study in study lounges. I hypothesize that people who study in study lounges will go to lengths to be alone in a study lounge and seek to not interact with others.

I sat in the study lounge of my dorm and put my headphones on so that I did not affect the people around me. I was the only person in there and waited for other people to show up. After a few minutes, a person opened up the door of the study lounge, peeked in and then promptly shut the door and left. For the next couple hours, this similar scenario happened time and time again. A person would open the door, see me, and then quickly shut the door, even though I was the only person in the room. Occasionally, a person would say a quick hello or initiate conversation. However, when the person would try to speak, they seemed quite uncomfortable. When they spoke, they lacked eye contact and seem to appear nervous and would try to end the conversation as quickly as possible. In a couple instances, some people would come into slightly into the room, and seem to decide whether or not they wanted to be in there. When people chose to study in the room with me, they seemed exasperated-they would sigh or look disappointed- or as if they had already tried multiple other study rooms, but those were also occupied and this was the last and best option.

Feeder 2.2 Edited Version

Within the context of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, there are a multitude of microcultures that exist. For the purposes of my studies, I will be focusing on the historically black, male fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, casually known as the Kappas. Having attended some of their functions and met a couple of the members, I find myself intrigued by the persona of a Kappa and the fraternity itself. Even if I had not been attendance to their functions or met a couple of the members, their presence and influence at the university is profound and distinct; it is difficult to ignore.
As stated earlier, the Kappas are an all male, historically black fraternity. Of all the historically black fraternities at the university, the Kappas are one of the most prominent and popular. A typical Kappa can be described as intelligent, charismatic, outgoing, driven and up to date on the latest trends and fashions. To be a Kappa is to be at the epicenter of popular, urban culture and to maintain a conscious stance on various programs, politics and other mediums that cater to the advancement of young, driven and promising black youth. With their social appeal and consciousness to those topics, the members of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity play a large part on campus. Many people can come into contact with them in a variety of realms, such as academics, athletics, social, etc. With that daily contact with the many realms of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill culture, the Kappas play a large role in shaping those various realms, ultimately acting as active agents of culture shaping. As an active agent, the Kappas provide an interesting perspective to how microcultures shape and affect culture and the importance of their affect on larger cultures. I hypothesize that the Kappas, as a microculture, provide and help shape the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill culture in many facets through their intensive social networking, which includes their casual social life and organized, fraternity activity.

Disruption

For my disruption, I went back to the UL and went my usual second floor, table seat. My actions, however, were not my usual. I really hope no one was too angry. Having observed the general quiet nature of the UL, I chose to do the very opposite. Without being ridiculously loud or obnoxious, I made some noise. First, I took out a bag of Bugles and ate them quite loudly. While the sound did not carry over through the entirety of the room, the people who were sitting at the table with me looked at me as though I was crazed/with great annoyance. While eating loudly is probably a disruption of norms in itself, it was quite evident that it also reflects a disruption of the norms at the UL. After eating my chips loudly, I decided to listen to some music. I played my music, again not too loudly or obnoxiously, for the public space instead of putting in my headphones. Perhaps the people of the UL would like to enjoy some Diva by Beyonce right alon with me! This caused more people to look back at me, and eventually the person sitting in front of me asked me to either turn my music off or put on headphones. That one hurt a little bit. I saw another girl look from her cubicle and stare at me like I was out of my mind, and I saw two people point to me...I'm assuming they were talking about how awkward I was acting. Being loud in the UL is not a fun experience. The amount of bad looks and annoyed glances by stressed out, sleep deprived college students I got that day are far more than I would ever like to get again in my life.

Microculture Rough Draft

Within the context of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, there are a multitude of microcultures that exist. For the purposes of my studies, I will be focusing on the black, male fraternity the Kappas. As stated earlier, the Kappas are an all male, black fraternity. Of all the historically black fraternities at the university, the Kappas are one of the most prominent and popular of said fraternities. A typical Kappa can be described as intelligent, charismatic, outgoing, driven and up to date on the latest trends and fashions. To be a Kappa is to be at the epicenter of popular, urban culture and to maintain a conscious stance onto various programs, political stances and other mediums that cater to the advancement of young, driven and promising black youth. With their consciousness to those topics, the members of the Kappa fraternity take large part in the social activities that take place on campus. As a fraternity, they aim to not only partake in those social activities, but to also create a social network that reaches far beyond what the average collece student may attain. Many people can come into contact with them in a variety of realms, such as academic, athletic, social, etc. On a daily basis, Kappas are within contact with many facets of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill culture, and therefore play a large role in shaping the those various facets of UNC-Chapel culture. As an active agent in shaping the culture of UNC-Chapel Hill, the Kappas provide an interesting perspective to how microcultures affect larger cultures and the importance of microcultures to a larger culture. With that in mind, it is safe to conclude that the Kappas, as a microculture, provide and help shape the UNC-Chapel Hill culture in many facets through their intensive social networking, social life and organized, fraternity activity.

Observation 2

For my second observation, I observed Lenior dining hall. I was sitting by myself, making observations, eating, and studying for my Gender and Culture midterm all at once. Some of the observations I made were related to seating arrangements and general behaviors between people. What I find almost humorous is that even though we appreciate and appraise UNC for its diversity, that diversity is not reflected in how people interact with one another. For the most part, the exception of a few people, most of the people sitting at larger tables together were of the same race. It could even be suggested that people of the same race sit together as a norm of Lenior. There really is no pattern in terms of gender, but in terms of race there seems to be a pattern of people of the same race sitting together. Another behavior I noticed was that people will migrate from table and table in order to be as isolated as possible from other people. A table may be occupied by only one or two people, but the small group will refuse to ask to sit down in order to be as isolated as possible. In general, it seems that, for the most part, unless the person is somebody that the other person knows, people try to remain as isolated as possible. Except for the few chance meetings and awkward run intos, people do not seem interested in initiated conversation with people outside of their comfort zone.  

Observation 1

For my first observation, I went to the UL and observed people on the second floor. One of the initial norms that I saw about the UL is for people to remain quiet. In the UL, people do not speak in loud tones. Any communication that is done in the UL is through hushed tones, and people that do not follow that norm are immediately met with either harsh glares or annoyed glances. People who chose to listen to music in the UL follow the norm of remaining quiet by bringing in headphones and keep their music at a level so that it does not disturb the silence. Another norm I noticed was the presence of groups in the study rooms. Unlike rooms in Davis library, where often times one person will facilitate a group study room, the study rooms in the UL are generally facilitated by more than one person. The groups will often times stay in there for long periods of time, and only to be filled by another group awaiting to use the room. Other behaviors that I observed was the comfort at which students take to the UL. Many students will nap in the UL or just take a moment to sit down and relax on their computers. The space is relaxed and not as serious as the other libraries on campus. Students in the UL will study, as well as nap or casually read. 

25 Things About Me

1. I'm awkward...but i thoroughly enjoy being awkward! It tends to create a lot of laughter and irreplacable memories in my life :)2. I love reading and once wrapped up in a book, there is essentially no point in trying to talk to me 3. I work at an all girls horseback riding summer camp.....and i love every single moment of my job4. Bud is the love of my life and only my BR girls can understand what that love is like5. I want to become a sports medicine doctor for a professional athletic team6. The first time I told someone I loved them (and mean't it) I said it through repeatedly telling him I hated him <37. Although I often times pretend otherwise, I can actually sing8. I've been playing piano since I was 8 years old, and it will always remain my first love, and the only true way I can express myself9. I hate telling people how I feel, especially romantically...my awkwardness tends to stunt me in this activity10. I get flustered and embarrassed very very very very very very very easily!11. I can't stand people who try to force you believe what they believe, or use personal things that you've told them as faults and evidence for why their way is better....i tend to have very emotional and violent reactions to people like that12. I do not believe in saying hello to somebody who I am mad at or has severely hurt me in the past....its actually for their benefit because I can promise anything that comes out of my mouth will be sarcastic, cynical and aimed at secretly undermining them and slowly picking at their pride13. I'm really sarcastic14. I'm quite witty and nasty as well....but I tend to keep those thoughts in my head15. Rachel Kelmenson and Jenny Cao have gotten me through so much, and will probably remain some of the best friends and support systems I will have in my life...i love you guys!16. I'm hypersensitive to all of my emotions...but I think its a special and wonderful thing17. I hate showing the negative parts of my personality and will go to lengths to not show them18. I enjoy positive people in my life because they rub off on me and make me smile :)19. I'm becoming more positive with each growing day and i'm thoroughly enjoying it20. I love people that I can just talk to21. I'm a mini-version of my mother....she's an amazing woman, mother, wife and anthesiologist and hopefully I'll grow up to be just as amazing as her22. I believe in having a close friends not, not being "cool with everyone"23. I love watching movies and could watch them all day every day24. My boobs are quite possibily one of the most frequent things I talk about25. I forgive eventually....but it's not up to the person I'm mad at to dictate that or how I must go about forgiving them...they just need to remain quiet and give me my Rachel time

Friends

I've had a long, tumultuous week. I am exhausted.

I really had hoped that today would've been better,and it seemed tobe going to crapsville, but some good actually came out of it.

I have really awesome friends here at schools. At home, I had the same group of friends pretty much from middle school until I graduated. I'm pretty shy, and slightly socially enept...so making new friends isn't exactly the easiest thing for me. But, due to my demeanor, I make some of the best and long lasting friendships.

I really had fake, meaningless friendships.You know, the friends where you see them and always promise to hangout, and never do. The people who ask you how you are and say well I'll be there for you and never are. The kind of people you always seem to have fun with, but never seem to be there for you. While those kind of friendships are necessary, I suppose, I'm partial to them. I like knowing the people that I hangout with are with me because they genuinely love me and care about me. I like knowing that they're there because they like all of me, not just because they have fun with me. I like real, true, and honest friendships. No pretense.

I don't mean to sound rude, or that I'm mean to people who I'm not true friends with. I don't mind conversation with people, but I always never feel satisfied from that. I love connecting and often times yearn for connections. That is fulfilling for me.

I think I have it...and it feels wonderful.
It's scary though, but its nice to know (especially after the week that I've had) that it's possible to make again

Event1: Performance-Talk Sex with Sue Johansson

Talk Sex with Sue Johansson....where do I even begin? Ever since my overly excited friend told me about the event, I had been anxiously awaiting for this past tuesday. I mean...come on! It's Talk Sex with Sue Johansson.....what could be an even better combination? From the moment she stepped on stage I knew it was going to be a monumental performance. I mean...one of her first statements was, "They usually don't let me have mics like this because I tend to use them inappropriately..." and then proceeded to be overly obscene with the mic. That was a tad...okay extremely uncomfortable, but hilarious all in the same. I had been having such a crappy week...I needed this performance. I haven't laughed so hard in so long. She really is a phenomenal speaker and did make a few valid points. I found myself in agreeance with Sue when she said that in every other aspect of of our lives we are overly educated about, but our sexuality is often times left out. For many people that is an extremely rough dimension of their identity to overcome, and we overlook it because it is "obscene" and "taboo". Perhaps if more people talked about it, it wouldn't be so taboo. But since our society, while sex is everywhere, we still regard it as a risque and provocative subject. Thankfully for UNC-Chapel Hill, Sue Johansson is not afraid to talk about sex, she actually loves to talk about it and chose to speak to us.

Honestly, I didnt really pay much attention to the, i suppose, "tips" she gave. It made me feel very uncomfortable and perplexed that a 78 year old woman was telling me how to best create. um, certain feelings about myself. However, what I took from her performance was a sense of becoming comfortable with my sexuality and myself and always remaining smart about choices regarding my sexuality. I thought it was quite interesting that she called sex with the use of protection "safer sex". Safe sex is a common term used nowadays....but is any sex without the intent of procreation safe? We have put such a safety guard on things such as condoms and birth control, that when they fail it comes as such a huge shock. While abstinence is not what I would advocate, so to speak, I find that people who are surprised when they do make those choices and get pregnant. Anytime you chose to have sex you are taking a risk, and I thought it was really interesting of Sue (a sexpert and proclaimed sex lover) took the time to stress that fact. Perhaps I'm just being a loser....but I liked it. All of the thoughtful things I got from her speech aside, her performance was beyond entertaining. From beginning to end, her talks about the male sexual organ and the beautiful aspects of a woman's sexual organs and other fun sex related discussions, was thoroughly entertaining. Oooooo.....and I will, never EVER in my life forgot what she did at the end. I don't think I will put this in my blog, but for those who did not go...ask a friend...It was perhaps one of the most epic moments of my life. Thanks again Sue Johansson

This was definently a unique experience I've had in college. In high school and within my household, sex was something you just didn't talk about. It's nice to be in an environment that is so liberal and allows people to express whatever they see fit. Something that is considered so vulgar and cheap at times, actually was not presented that way. The audience was engaged in her speech because she made sex comfortable. She was not like your 8th grade student teacher, but at the same time, she did not speak like a prostitute would about sex (although she does hang around them and learn some, um, "tricks" from them....gahhh!!!!). She had a good blend of scientific words and took the subject seriously. There definently funny moments, but she chose a language that was a blend of humorous, scientific and mature tone and I believe that because of that the audience (and myself) was extremely responsive to her performance.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, and it will definitely remain a high point of my college experience.
Thanks Sue!

Bud

He was super cute :(

.....

Here I am, yet again unable to sleep.
I don't really know what is wrong with me. I kind of know why, but I don't know how to fix it.

Ever since I was 10 yrs old, I've spent my past summers at a camp called Black River Farm and Ranch. Black River Farm and Ranch is an all girls horseback riding camp in Croswell, Michigan. As a young girl, I grew up there and learned a number of things about myself. Then, after my years as a camper were over, I was one of the lucky girls to be selected to be on staff. I worked my way up the ranks from Counselor in Training to Assistant Counselor and finally a full fledged Counselor.

I wish I could explain my love for this camp. BR has become a part of what I identify Rachel Armstrong as. If you look at my left hand, you will see my BR ring that I wear every single day. Without my ring I feel naked. Without my ring, something is missing.

BR took a young, lonely girl who was different from everybody else and gave her a home. BR gave me a reason to love myself because I was surrounded by girls like me. Girls who loved horses and a place where my awkwardness and shyness was finally acceptable. I was able to make my own decisions, and figure out what it is I like from life, and the qualities that I can attribute to Rachel Armstrong. As a staff member, I have learned more lessons about life, hardwork and the beauty in almost every aspect of life. I have sweated, cried, bled, stressed and laughed more at BR than I have anywhere else.

At BR is also where I learned what it is like to really love. My first year at camp, I picked a horse and he instantly became my favorite. I remember sitting in the horsetalk area for halter, being a first year, not knowing anyone, any of the horses or what halter was all about. Each girl gets to select a horse, and I had no idea what horse to pick. It was my second day at camp, and I had no idea who any of the horses were. They came to #16 Bud, and nobody raised their hand. Since I didn't know any better anyway, I raised my hand and picked Bud. As dumb as it sounds, that moment that seems random and completely significant actually became one of the defining moments of my life. Bud became and still remains my favorite horse at camp. I would spend all of my freetime with him, just brushing him. When I wasn't brushing Bud, I was riding him in freetime. My second year, I won halter with Bud and was recognized at the horseshow for all of my hardwork. After awhile, Rachel and Bud became a entity that everyone knew. And when I was on staff, it remained the same. Every camper knew who my favorite was and would run up to tell.."Miss Rachel, Miss Rachel, guess who I rode today??? BUD! I love him....Miss Rachel, did you see Bud today?". I do not doubt that other counselors have favorites and care for them deeply, but of all the counselors, It was probably the most evident my feelings for Bud. I truly love that horse. I love him more than I love most people.

Tuesday of last week, I received a facebook chat from one of the counselors I work with. Tuchek (Emily Tuchek, but we just call her Tuchek), sent me a message saying I needed to call Torie, another counselor. They had been trying to reach me all day, but my phone was dead so they were unable to reach me. Torie had to talk to me about Bud. I knew that whatever she was going to tell me was going to be bad, and I wasn't going to enjoy the phone call. I called Torie on my friends phone and she told me that her favorite horse Champ had died. I told her I was sorry, and then immediately began to cry..."Bud isn't dead too...is he?" I asked. "I'm so sorry Rach...he coliced and died"

For those who know nothing about horses, when a horse colics it is not a good thing. Horses cannot throw up, so when they ingest something that does not sit well in their stomachs or eat too much sand or drink too cold water too quickly, or do not drink enough water, their intestines tangle and they eventually die. It is horribly painful, and a horse that is coliced can be recognized by extreme sweating, and actions such as pawing at their stomachs, biting and kicking at their stomachs...anything to show that they are in inbearable pain. Bud was discovered to have coliced and they tried to give him a treatment to make it better. It didn't...in fact he got worse...and he was dead 24 hrs later.

I know this is probably a dumb reason to be so sad, but the truth is I am. It is almost like apart of me has died. When I think of Bud, I think of camp and when I think of camp I think of the innocence, growth and love that has occured in my life because of Bud and Black River. When Bud died, a piece of my heart died, along with my innocence. I never thought he would be gone. When I said goodbye to him on the last day working this summer I remember saying, goodbye, I'll see you next summer. I had no idea that would be the last time I'd see him alive. I never knew that would be the last day one I would see of the most pure and innocent forms of love that exists in my heart. I love him as much as that first day of halter 10 years ago. No, I loved him more and more each year that I spent at camp. The love never-changed...it is the same feeling.

And now he's gone. And died in probably one of the worst ways I believe a horse can die. In terrible pain and before his time.

I can't sleep. I don't want to sleep. I just Bud back. I just want my innocence and love back.
I probably seem like a stupid horsefreak. But that's how I feel.

I wish my feelings would just go away at this point

My day

I had a really stressful day. I didn't go to sleep.....then took my math test which i did badly on. Freaked out a bit because I did crappy...but they let you retake your worst test for a higher grade at the end of the semester. Wooo...Then I had a chemistry exam that made me want to cry as well. I mean, I think I know chemistry, but 50 minutes????? Come one now....just rush rush rush rush rush and I'm tired and hungry and saw someone I really didn't want to say hi to, but was forced into.

It always seems like you see you don't wanna when you're not doing what you're supposed to be doing. Note to self, avoid student stores at wee hours of the morning...I might just see the one person I truly could punch in the face. Asshole

Anywhooo, after my chemistry test, my day vastly improved. We watched Boyz N the Hood in my Gender and Culture class. I know we were supposed to learn something from it, but it's such a good movie that I didn't really care if I was learning or not. I just wanted to enjoy the movie

Then I met up with a friend at Davis.. :) And my day has gotten progressively better
I hope tonight is fun

It probably would b smarter to go to sleep...but why sleep when there is an endless amount of other things I could be doing?

Sleep

Sleeping has become more of an optional thing for me than a necessity. It's not, o I need sleep...more so, can I afford to sleep tonight. On the one hand, I will be perfectly rested...on the other hand, I will not finish my homework and will be unprepared for class.

I've always been the student that put sleep on the backburner. I think of it as a way of preparing myself for medical school. If i'm already prepared to not sleep, I'm all the more ready to become a doctor.

On the otherhand, I've found that not sleeping is causing me to become super stressed and make some odd decisions, along with accumulating some very odd mannerisms. But, which each night that I do not sleep, the less I seem to want it.

Perhaps sleep is becoming the dessert I always crave. The moment I indulge, it becomes just abundantly clear how much I desire, crave and need the dessert.

17 credit hours is no joke.
I think i'm starting to crack....and the semester has barely begun

My relationship

I've been in a steady (well...mostly steady) relatioship since the beginning of my senior year. He truly is wonderful. As a hurdler for Michigan state, smart, funny, caring, loving, charming, patient, understanding....the list goes on, he is quite probably one of the most positive aspects of my life right now. I love him, as most people claim at this age. I'm not sure if it's true love, but I can say that it is the best I can conceive of love at this age.

The only problem is the distance. I really hate it. I hate feeling lonely. I'm never emotionally lonely, but sometimes you just need a good hug. Apparently, as humans, we are supposed to have 8 instance of positive physical contact in a day. I am severly lacking and it sucks.

The distance, while creating my severe void in physical contact, is also starting to put unpleasant thoughts in my mind. I would never cheat. I would never do anything to disrespect my relationship. But sometimes I think things that I shouldn't...I'm not perfect by any means, and i can't help what I think...

Idk...i guess I just needed to say that

Medical remedies

I am doing folklore toothache remedies! yay rotten teeth!

Ouch

I had a pretty good day up until now. Well, it's not so much bad, more so painful than anything. I run on the UNC Club Track team. I ran track in high school and I love running. I was so excited to see that UNC had a club team I could join.

Well, I've been running on the tesm since the beginning the year and over break we were supposed to do workouts. At home (michigan) it snowed like crazy and my track was covered so doing a workout on the outdoor track was out of the question. On top of that, the nearest track is 45 minutes from my house...and I was lazy as hell over break. Upon returning to school I was really really really out of shape and being so busy to miss most of practice this week did not help at all.

Today we did 600 specials. You run a 300 (fairly hard), jog a 100 and then give the last 200 all that you have left. Sound easy? You try doing one...let alone 3. We had three of those with 8 minute break in between. I wanted to die after the first one. It hurt so badly. I probably looked like the biggest weiner EVER! Ugh

Its the first step however toward getting back to where I was.

As for now...I am fat and cannot wait for my track body to come back....ugh......

UNC

Essentially for the entirity of my high school career, the University of Michigan was the school everybody talked about. If you were of any importance and held even a grain of intelligence, U of M was the all and mecca of schools. While I definently considered U of M a great school, I was never as enamored with it. To me, there HAD to be some other school that could match the omnious U of M. To add on to that, probably some of the most irritating and immoral people from my school were beyond obsessive to go.

I mean obsessed. I mean, cheat in AP classes and just do anything possible to go to U of M. One kid, whose morals are probably beyond being saved, paid somebody to take his ACT and got into the Ross Business School at U of M. I knew at that moment that I was permanently no longer even considering going to the University of Michigan.

However, I had no idea of where I wanted to go. With the help of quite possibly the most amazing counselor Mrs. Burgess, I was given options and then took a college tour with my stepdad.

Most people say they are Tarheel born. While Tarheel blood was not embedded into my blood like many, the moment I stepped onto the UNC Campus, I knew that I was a Tarheel. I was in love from first glance at UNC

When I first arrived here, there was a chance that my love for UNC was all a lie. I was friends with the wrong people, was dating quite possibly the dumbest "smart" person ever and had no sense of who I was. Scared out of my mind to be immersed in a foriegn culture where I knew nobody and realized that I was quite different...it was made abundantly clear to me just how different I was on a daily basis...I was starting to believe that perhaps UNC wasn't what I thought it was. I cried everyday, and put on a smile to my classmates, who probably didnt even knew who I was anyway...I just refused to be known as the girl who cried everyday in class.

I honestly thought that I had made the worst decision of my life and that I was going to be miserably for the next four years of my life and that there must be something fundamentally wrong with me.

Well....fortunately for me, UNC turned out to be the school I thought it was. I finally have the right friends and the right frame of mind to truly view UNC for what it is.

I can truly understand why young kids in North Carolina dream for years to come a place like this. People love UNC because of the atmosphere. There is no greater love for a school than any other university in the US

And trust me, I've been around the most hardcore U of M fans...which can be quite daunting
But that does not hold a candle to the love at UNC

Obama's Speech

"For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies"

                                                       President Barack Obama

I must admit that amongst the excitement of my fellow students, I found myself slightly less excited. It is not that I did not support Barack Obama or had ill sentiments towards his election, for I found myself bubbling his name on my ballot. 

It is simply because, for the most part, politics is a foreign and secretly (and many times not so secretly) corrupt field which holds probably less than one percent of my interest. In a field where pretense and carefully created characters seems to be the success stories, I find myself repulsed by the idea. A field riddled with euphemisms, pretense, hidden agendas and carefully constructed images, struggles to grab my attention or empathy. I simply cannot stand it. 

However, with viewing Barack Obama's inauguration speech, I found myself almost becoming a believer. He himself acknowledged all of the above, and for some reason I found myself believing and becoming moved by his words. 

What moved me was President Obama's reoccurring idea of returning back to the initial ideals and hard work of our forefathers. He placed the future of America into the hands of the Americans. Instead of blaming others for the demise of the country, he placed the responsibility and effort into the hands of the government and the people. Instead of the government dictating, President Obama  created a symbiotic relationship between the government and the people, in which it is imperative that yes, the government must do the work, but the people themselves must do the work as well. Following the initial quotation, President Obama described the morals that everyday people themselves must follow in order for us to recreate and regenerate American.

President Obama spoke of greater effort and greater morals. Two things that I believe most people of our country lack.

In his inauguration speech he seemed to relay a very perceptive mind, who is in tune with the necessity of our country. Effort and morals are two things that are always necessary, and it finally seems like we have a president who is well aware of those thing.

A man, who's story speaks of sacrifice, hard work, commitment in all realms of his life and first and foremost, honesty and morals..finally is on the pulpit, presenting a, yes large and very daunting, task in front of our nation.

The difference, it seemed to me, was his perception. President Obama does not seem to be enticed or disillusioned with politics. He remains grounded, relaxed and aware. A man with a history of morals and hard work. A man who is truly aware of the task at hand.

And for those reasons, his inauguration has finally struck my attention. 

I am very irritated

I have come to realization that friends can do some of the dumbest things. You can console and try to help them no matter what. But regardless of what you say, or know....they never EVER seem to listen. You oould point everything out, and completely show them that even they themselves agree with what you say. But yet, at the end of the day they don't listen.

So
completely
and
utterly
DUMB!

What irritates me even further is when a friend values the opinion of a guy who (more times than not) just recently broke up with them. This guy (and by that I don't mean all guys...just the particular asshole at the time) who has hurt them, suddenly now has all the right things. After the relationship is over, he can finally say the things that are right. After he has hurt her feelings, he is the one to trust. He is the one to believe...his propaganda, riddled with cliches and complete and utter romantic bullshit, is the one to listen to. Not your friend, who was there for through all the tears. The boy (and specifically use the word boy here) who was incapable of being there for you emotionally, but was the best boyfriend when you were happy, is now the one to believe.

That is some total, and complete bullshit