BeardedLady

Honduras Mission trip

I have been awaiting my mission trip to Honduras (in june), since september of 2009. It’s almost here and  am quite excited about going.

Honduras is part of a republic in Central America. The country is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, and to the southeast by Nicaragua. The still developing country of Honduras has about 8 million people living in it. The national language is Spanish. The climate is usually pleasant and temperate, with dry and wet seasons.

The Country of Honduras is home of many. Some of the ancient people living in Honduras are the Mayan Indians and The Garifun communities. The government of Honduras is run by a Democratic constitutional republic. Honduras is a beautiful country, but it is one of the poorest countries. Most of the Rural communities live in a one or two roomed hut that are built from adobe or sugar cane roots with mud dirt floors. Because of these below standard living conditions, many Hondurans try to seek ways to earn money. Many immigrate to the United States because the jobs that are offered in Honduras can’t provide for their families. Mothers will leave their children to go to the United States and be houses keepers for wealthy Americans. To think about this, it makes me sad. As much as I get upset with my mom, I could never imagine her leaving the country to work.

In order to get a better understanding about the people of Honduras I have been reading a book called Enrique’s Jouney. So far I have learned about a boy who’s mother left him and his family to earn money to provide for them. The boy, Enrique, travels from Honduras to America on the tops fright trains, to find his mother. This is an extremely dangerous trip. He has to worry about police, gangs, and the danger of travel on top of a moving train. This story is based on true events, which means it is still happening to this very day.

I have decided to go to Honduras because of the danger children put themselves into in order to find their mothers or fathers. I have also chosen to go on this trip because I feel like this is my path to help people. The people in Honduras live in such poor conditions, I am very fortunate of what I have. I know the trip will be hard work and it will be a lot different than my mission trip to Arizona. So, before I go, I need to give thanks to my blessings and get ready to see things that might shock me. I am ready to lend a helping hand.

Anti-Bullying

Kids are bullied everyday and people don’t notice it, or they don’t care to say anything about it. To be quite frank all schools should have a no tolerance policy for bullying. Students who are bullied should be able to feel comfortable enough to approach a teacher or adult when they are a victim of being bullied.But to get a better understanding about bullying and why it happens you need to know why the bully is doing this, what are the signs of bullying, and what you can do to prevent bullying.

There isn’t just one reason why kids bully, but some reasons are that the child is influenced to fit in the crowd so the bully, they see others do it, it makes them feel stronger and bettter than the person that they are bullying which can prevent the bully from others bullying them in some way. Whatever way someone is being bullied, people need to realize it’s a serious thing and it can taunt someone for their whole lives.

Some signs to know if you are being bullied or if someone you know is being bullied is if someone has been or is physically hurting you meaning hitting, pushing, or shoving repeatedly; If the bully has asked someone to hurt you because they didn’t like you, or if you have been name called. Rummors are also a sign of bullying. These things can cause people of any age a lot of pain, and affect the way they work with people or in school.

We can prevent bullying by showing youth the correct way to treat others so we can solve the problem at a young age. Talking about bullying to a trusted friend or adult can also help prevent bullying and make you feel more secure. By speaking out and up you are able to help more than one who are involved in bullying.

I chose to write about bullying as a blog topic because I had seen an old friend that I went to summer camp a couple years agowith on the News. It wasn’t a good thing. My old friend, Amanda Brownell had tried to commit suicide. I was really worried about her and I felt awful after I heard why she had tried to take her life on Dec. 11, 2008. Amanda survived, but she is now in a vegitative state and suffers from severe brain damage.

I met Amanda during summer camp around the summer 2004. Amanda and I really connected because we both had the same names and we were interested in a lot of the same things. We both had a strong faith in god, enjoyed making friendship bracelets, and we both loved to sing. I was really glad to have met Amanda and I thought she was a wonderful person from the first day that I talked to her. She was very accepting when meeting new people and had a bubbly personality that everyone wanted to be around. When camp was over, I was extremely sad that we were departing, she was one of my closests friends at summer camp.

By writing this blog, I hope this can open the eyes of many.

Go here to help and find out about Amanda.

http://michbel.tumblr.com/post/279205191/vigil-for-amanda-brownell

Twenty-Ten

The end of my senior year is near, and its blowing my mind, it has gone by so quickly. This year has been my most eventful and I have explored so many new and different things. I have really enjoyed my 4 years at Tech High. I would have to say that my senior year has been my most enjoyable year and I have done my best work throughout this year.

Graduation is an exciting time for many seniors including myself and I can’t wait to enter my next step in life, college. I was afraid of going away to college during my sophomore and junior year, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get into a 4 year college because I didn’t have the best grades in the world. After long nights of writing essays and studying for the SAT’s it really paid off, out of the 5 schools I applied to I have gotten into 3. I was able to get into one of my top schools, which is a super plus in my book. I have narrowed my schools down and have decided that I will be attending Notre Dame de Namur. It is a small school and that is what I was looking for in a school. Since I have been attending a small High School, I think going to a small college will benefit me. I am truly excited for next year, the only thing I am somewhat bummed about for next year is that I will not be with my best friend.

I have known my “bestie” since 6th grade and over these 7 years we have really gotten close. We have gone through our up’s and down’s (what friends haven’t), and I have to say I love her with all my heart. Marina and I have been in every class together, we go to the  gym, choir, and even the bathroom together. Next year will be very different without seeing her everyday,but I will be seeing her as much as possible. I can’t let her just hop out of my life. She is my “bestie” and I hope she will always be. She has hooked me up with some memorabilia throughout our years together, to put in my dorm room and that will help me get through when we aren’t able to see each other. We will definitely be visiting each other, cause I LOVE HER x 10,002!

Although the end of the year is coming to a halt, but my life is still moving. These past years at Tech High has been great, and I am very proud of my achievements throughout these years. I will stay in touch with my best friend and attend the school I planned on. Next year is going to be great!

I <3 Bacon

Bacon, ah, I love bacon. It tastes good alone, in a sandwich, and even in sweets. Bacon is just an enjoyable food, the combination of  salty and smokey is just so complimentary and satisfying. I am aware that bacon is delicious, yes, but what is the history of bacon?

Since the sixteenth century bacon has been a term used to refer to all types of pork. The term bacon derives from the french term Bako, which refers to the back. There are particular breeds of pigs that are grown just for bacon, notably Yorkshire and Tamworth. Not all of the pig is used for bacon, the thigh, stomach, and back of the pig are the parts that we chow down on. There are several different types of bacon, the Pancetta, Irish bacon, Canadian bacon, American- Style bacon, Slab bacon, Peppered bacon, Apple-Wood Smoked bacon. Well they all sound good to me!

There are many different types of recipes that include bacon. My first experience with bacon in a new form was actually this year.  I bought my first bacon chocolate bar, and let me tell you, it was delicious. Before I had ever tasted bacon chocolate I had thoughts and even dreams of having the combination of bacon and chocolate. Once that delicious duo touched my tongue I knew it was meant to be. Now that I have experienced bacon chocolate I am looking for bigger and better bacon recipes that are more… hmmm…  adventurous!

I have some hot spots I want to hit while I am in the wonderful city of San Francisco. There is one in particular, Dynamo Donuts, and that name sounds legit, so their must be something delicious cooking there. Well, this blog entry is really about bacon, I am guessing you are wondering why I am talking about Donuts. Well there is a perfectly logical reason for that, this rare donut has bacon on it! Normal people who don’t have any sense of flavor wouldn’t understand how good this donut sounds, but I am an abnormal person who has a colorful palate and I can only dream of that scrumptious flavor and I can’t wait to wrap my tongue around it. On the Dynamo Donut website, the donut is described as, “studded with bacon and apples sauted in bacon fat maple glaze and crispy bacon”. Freaking sounds delicious doesn’t it? I think so!

Now that I have learned the origins of bacon and the many styles it can be cooked, I can eat my bacon with ease. Well to be completely honest, I already did eat my bacon with ease and pleasure but I learned some valuable information. So take it from a pro, savor your bacon and eat it with pleasure.

All the wrong curves

I recently found out I have scoliosis. I have never had any back pain whatsoever, so you can possibly understand my shock and confusion when I was told I had scoliosis. The last time I was checked for scoliosis was in the 8th grade, I was sent to the library of all places, where some odd lady named Berta felt down my spine. To make matters worse her hands were as cold as ice. All in all it was probably one of the most awkward things I have ever experienced and during that time I was informed that I didn’t have scoliosis.

Two weekends ago, I was at the mall with one of my sisters and my mom. After shopping a bit we came across a chiropractor. I prayed to God that my mom would just walk on by the stand but NO, we stopped, filled out some papers and then it got worse, the chiropractor who was there wanted to check our backs. I suddenly had a flashback of that time in 8th grade with Berta, in that library. Having a total stranger feel up and down my spine in the mall made me very uneasy for some reason. As I laid on the odd cushioned table, I had no thoughts of  having scoliosis. Once my back was checked the chiropractor informed me that my back was a little bit on the unusual side, great for me! And one of my legs was longer than the other. In other words I needed a chiropractor.

My first session wasn’t anything I would’ve expected, but then again I didn’t know what to expect. I found out my spine starts curving in my neck, it straightens out a little bit,  and toward my lower back it curves again. In order to fix all of my backs imperfections I have to go to the chiropractor on a regular basis so he can “pop” my spine where it should be.  After that first session I had never felt back pains until that moment. Back pain is the weirdest sensation and now I am truly sympathetic for anyone who has back pains. Pain is the way my body is going to fix my back to where it should be. I am praying to God that I can have my back straight with out surgery. Now that I have survived my first week (thank God), visiting the chiropractor daily isn’t so bad. I do have pains but I feel upright, straighter, and healthier. And the delicious apples and cookies they have in there lobby reassure me that  the chiropractor isn’t an awful and freaky place. I no longer have the image of Berta the chiropractor with her icy cold hands.