Monday, 3/23: Benito Juarez, National Palace, Cathedral

First, apologies. I realized that my dates were one day off, but I corrected my mistake.

On Monday, we went to Benito Juarez (Centro Educativo Rotario), a school dedicated to teaching children with high intelligence quotients from low-income families. For a good hour or so, we visited each individual classroom and talked to the children. I remember walking into the fifth grade classroom. Eyes turned towards us as we filed through the door and lined up in front of the blackboard. We did the routine introduction that we did in the previous five rooms and explained that we were university students from Chicago. This class was different from the others. The other students were shy, reserved and afraid to ask questions -- possibly overwhelmed by the 14 tall students standing in front of the room (especially Lauren, standing at 6'2"). The fifth grade class? Questions just poured out of their mouths. "What is your favorite food in Guatemala?" "What is your favorite place in the country?" "Where are you from?" "Who is your favorite actress?" The curiosity made me wonder if they wanted us to stay longer so class was shorter or if they were genuinely interested. Regardless, it was an experience seeing all the students -- from the cute, adorable first graders to the ambitious tenth graders.

After doing the rounds, we hung out with the tenth graders outside in the garden. We split up into groups and got to know each other. Josh and I talked to Gavi (I'm unsure of the spelling), Christian and Albert. I learned that Gavi really wants to be an actress and Albert is into astronomy. Christian is really into politics and would like to be the president of Guatemala. These kids really have ambition and the potential to do great things.

When we met with the principals of both the elementary school and high school, they told us that students oftentimes stop going to school because they need to work to support the family. The goal of Benito Juarez is to provide a quality education that offers them more opportunities. Here's the thing: the school is funded by donations. They are always looking for more resources and funding in order to continue providing quality education.

All of us Northwestern Rotaract members loved our time at Benito Juarez. We realized that these students can really go somewhere and their education is key. As we sat in the lounge and listened to the principals talk, ideas churned in our heads. We brainstormed a list of ideas and we intend to turn these ideas into concrete plans. It's nice to know that we can extend our service in Guatemala and try to make our time there a long-term presence. We are planning to talk to local schools about resources and get in touch with Interact.

I don't know if we made a lasting impression on the students. I hope we did. Regardless, the students at Benito Juarez left an impression on us.



Afterwards, Hector took us to a relief map, made by a man who walked and measured the expanse of Guatemala years ago and created a map to scale. We were standing on one of two towers overlooking the map when we realized we could spell words with our arms. Cute? I think we are.



We also visited the National Palace which was absolutely beautiful. The way the light behind the stained glass hit the ground was absolutely gorgeous.





Lauren pointed this out. There was a chip in the panels of stained glass. Funny how the chip is in the panel that discusses orders






The rose is replaced every 24 hours. I don't remember off the top of my head what it marks, but it has to do with peace.



Another peace memorial that Bradford is looking at.







I love the colors of Guatemala. This woman wears it all.



This is my favorite photograph of the trip, by far. Intrigued by frames, I walked out of the National Palace and stopped to take a picture of Guatemala as the arch framed it. I noticed this girl walking by and just waited, finger-happy.

It was an eventful day. That's for sure.

Sunday, 3/22: Mt. Pacaya and Club Guatemala

We climbed a majority of Pacaya's 2500 meters. One of 25 volcanoes in Guatemala, Pacaya is considered the smallest volcano, but I still thought it was quite a climb.



This Guatemalan mountaineer, Jaime Viñals, guided us up the volcano. He is the first Central American to climb Mount Everest and is planning to come the 50 highest summits in the world in the next year. He said that National Geographic airs a few of his expeditions.



This adorable man taught me how to drink water. He told me that I should hold the water in my mouth until it reaches room temperature because cold water takes more energy to digest.



Pacaya in the background.



We spent a lot of time "moonwalking" down a hill of lava ash. After Jaime showed us the lava and we watched lava ooze out behind crumbling rocks, we climbed over lava rocks and down the mountain. Everyone came down the mountain dusty, sweaty and tired, but climbing Pacaya was exhilarating.




Club Guatemala.

Saturday, 03/21: Playing Dentist

It's weird to be back in the states after such an eventful spring break. Sorry I did not updating earlier. I dived into the first day of spring quarter with a lot to do, but here's the first of many updates. The big idea of the trip? We did a lot of service, had a lot of fun and came back with plenty of stories to tell.

After settling in with my host Carmen, we went to a local elementary school in Guatemala City for our first day of service. Headed by Rotaract Club of Guatemala Sur, the health clinic provided free basic healthcare to the community. Even before the doors opened, a line of parents holding their children formed on the sidewalk. Because 250 people came (over double what was expected), we worked past noon and unfortunately had to turn away people because of a lack of resources.

A few of us taught children proper toothbrushing techniques. Others helped apply flouride and conduct basic eye examinations for an opthamalogist. Rocio, Lauren and I assisted a group of student dentists from a local university with teeth extractions. It surprised me that students were receiving such practical application. In the U.S., medical students practice on cadavers and use innovative technology before prying teeth out of an actual child's mouth. But necessity in Guatemala calls for hands-on practice. It's a win-win situation.

We helped sterilize equipment and set up trays as four or five people would come in, sit in small kiddie chairs and wait for dentists to examine their teeth. The condition of these people's teeth oftentimes called for multiple extractions. Most children sat with stoic faces, hardly budging after the dentists yanked out their teeth. That is respectable.

The entire experience was incredibly overwhelming and hard to gain a full grasp on. Little children and adults alike peered through the classroom windows trying to get a peek of our one-day clinic. Some smiled bashfully at us, nervous for what was to come. At one point in time, a little girl walked in, clenching her grandmother around the leg. Tears ran down her face and she refused to sit still for a teeth examination. She squirmed and kneaded her lips together as Carmen, the dentist who is also a Rotaract member, grabbed a dentist mirror to inspect her teeth. After Carmen made a few more attempts, the girl's grandmother, dressed in faded Guatemalan garbs, swooped her out of the chair and onto her lap. Rocio and Lauren took quick action and helped hold her down -- one taking her arms and legs, the other her head. It was the most painful thing to watch, knowing that this girl needed her teeth examined to avoid further hygiene and health problems, but to watch her do it against her will.

After each extraction, the dentists would show us the tooth -- bloodied, blackened and often only a portion of what used to be a full tooth. As ridiculous as it may sound, donning a doctor's coat with "Emily" slapped on the left breast created an immediate sense of importance. The entire experience was a wake-up call and a memorable experience.










The rest of the day? We ate at Pollo Campero, the Guatemalan equivalent of KFC and went out to a local club that night for a fantastic night of dancing and bonding. The night was a little crazy, but a great kick-off to what would become an amazing week.

Jetsetting...

The colors make me stare. I usually think of flowers as vibrant and bright, but the tone of this photograph makes me look twice.

In 24 hours, I will be sitting on the Kiss n' Fly with 13 of my fellow Northwestern students and flying off to Guatemala to help with the global water issue. Hopefully I will have pictures for all! With a 50 mm, I am hoping to get some great photos, but also miss out on other photo opportunities I can't get with a fixed macro lens.

Be back in ten days!

Frisbee on South Beach

70-degree weather? Almost unheard of here in Evanston. I think the beautiful weather today makes up for the bitter cold winter. Not quite, but close. I THINK I LOVE IT.

A bunch of us went to South Beach Monday for a little study break. I can't even describe how refreshing it is to be able to relax outside for more than an hour and not freeze. People played Frisbee. A couple thought it would be a good idea to try and stand on the ice -- that didn't turn out too well.







And a few portraits.









My roommate had the sudden urge to tackle someone and went after Oliver. Oh, P-Wild love.

A Taste of Spring

From the first two quarters in Chicago, I have learned that the weather is fickle, especially come March. One day, it will be 60 degrees and sunny. The next, gray clouds and heavy rain. The fickle weather calls for mood swings.

But the sun is back for the week, so out comes the sandals, skirts and dresses! How I've missed my open-toed shoes.




Skirt courtesy of my lovely roommate!

03/12/09: Thursdance

The week before Valentine's Day, my dormmates cleverly coined the term, "Thursdance." Thursday nights always seem like the night to stay up in our dorm. The night when we plan an event a little bit more exciting and out of the ordinary -- a break from our busy studying and working, to say the least. I will spare publishing the details of the first Thursdance online because: 1. I was not there and 2. We are just not going to go there.

This past Thursday, we decided to celebrate Brooke and Laura Z's birthdays. Though their birthdays are not until next week, Brooke was finishing finals early and leaving on Friday, making a Thursdance more appropriate than ever.

I not-so-stealthily baked a cake in our third-floor kitchenette and Olivia and I decorated the chocolate cake with strawberries and Jesus (my roommate got Jesus toppers during a white elephant exahnge).

Prateek, being the sweet guy he is, rallied people from all the floors. He walked up and down the hallways, telling people there was cake and a dance party going on for Brookie and Zilchie. With the colorful light of the disco ball illuminating the library, about 20 people huddled in a bunch waiting for our two good friends to arrive. Call it an impromptu surprise party, dance party or birthday party, Thursdance was a blast.

Happy 19th birthday, girls!



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As you can see, I'm horrible at keeping up with my New Year's resolutions, but I'm trying! At the moment, my room swallowed my card reader and I have yet to buy a new lens for my D90. They are all lame excuses, but I promise you that I am trying. Although, my studies and academics caught up with me the last few weeks and consumed my time.

Dance Marathon photographs coming soon!

Our First Loves

My friend, Tom, recently just finished this journalism 300-level class where the students were given a project and told to create an online, interactive multimedia Web site from scratch.

Please check it out: Our First Loves

It is absolutely inspirational to see the skills and talents of Medill students come together on one site. The design is simple, the vision -- fitting. Everyone has a first love, whether it be the boy next door, words, hockey or laughter.

In four years, I hope that I can confidently say I did something just as amazing as this.

Congratulations, and great job!

After watching their presentation and perusing their site, I keep raking through my memories, trying to figure out what my first love was and it keeps coming back to the same thought. But that's another story for another day.

The weather is absolutely gorgeous today and I'm thinking about studying outside, if I don't get distracted.

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What was your first love?

Gestures.

This past weekend was insane, to say the least. Unfortunately, I misplaced my card reader while packing for Dance Marathon, so I cannot share photographs of DM with you right now.

Before DM, I excused myself from the crazy social life that is my dorm and found places to study for my personality psychology exam. On Wednesday night, I found myself in McTrib (McCormick Tribune Center) studying while my fellow NBN writers and editors published stories for the second-to-last time this quarter. My friend, noticing that I was stressing out, ran out of the room quickly while I was packing up, grabbed an Expo marker and wrote this on the door of the student lounge.

It's simple gestures like these that keep me sane through reading and finals week. Thankfully, the projects will be done, the final will be over and soon enough I will be in Guatemala doing service and having a fabulous spring break.

Pressure on NBN

A lot of new articles with photographs from yours truly have gone up in the past month, but I haven't linked any. Here is the latest one and the last one for winter quarter: Pressure Billiards & Cafe. Now off to do work, sleep and 30-hours of dancing. Wish me luck!

The weather today? 60 degrees. You heard me, 60 degrees. People shed their heavy winter coats and pulled their open-toed shoes out of the closets. The weather was absolutely beautiful and such a mood-lifter. Thankfully the weather will stay in the 50s through Dance Marathon. Check out North by Northwestern during DM for some of the most in-depth coverage we do all year!

Future?

The San Francisco Chronicle reported a little less than a week ago that Hearst may put the paper up for sale. What does that say for the 200 students sitting with me in Medill? What does that say for those who are seeking internships this summer?

It's a frightening thing to think about. What business model will replace the traditional business model to create a remotely successful industry?

Every week, I walk into lecture and at least one guest speaker or one professor will say something along the lines of "You may be thinking that you won't get a job after four years here at Medill, but I think this is the best time to enter the industry." These pseudo-encouraging comments hold some truth, but it's hard to keep that optimistic, gung-ho outlook when every which way I look a publication is laying off staffers, shutting down or filing for bankruptcy. Sure, the internet is the next frontier, but the trip sure is a rocky one.

As far as professors say, it's the increasingly entrepreneurial mentality that offers optimism. For me? I will continue holding onto that silver lining.

More posts in the future about muddy March, International Dinner and Joshua Radin.

Rare sighting

I went for a walk to the lakefront last night. Hoping for some therapeutic crashing waves, I was welcomed instead with a frozen and snow-covered lake. I guess that will do. I sat and stared at the Chicago skyline and the vast emptiness surrounding it.

That's when I looked down and saw something I never really noticed before. Most of the time, I see hearts like Chookooloonks' Love Thursday sightings. Today? I found a semblance of a broken heart in the snow on the ground.

All I could do was stare.

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It is going to be a busy two weeks ahead of me, so I am going to take a hiatus until March 9th. I'm looking forward to Demetri Martin, Chicago Bulls v. Houston Rockets, Joshua Radin and Dance Marathon. But that combined with projects and homework I need to stay on top of? Unfortunately, the blog will be put on the back burner.

A dose of medicine

Pancakes and waffles. The perfect way to wake up in the morning, and the best remedy to any under-the-weather day.

I recommend heading to Shutter Sisters today. Today's post is so powerful and applicable to what I have been thinking about lately. Lately, I have been stuck in my head, thinking about my future, what I really want to do, how I handle situations, whether or not I am being too idealistic and stubborn. I can think of so many things to write on a leaf and it may be time to stop thinking and acting.

There is so much power to simply "doing." Plans are always made, people always talk, promises are always set, but to what extent do these things form into action? I am tired of passivity. I have no energy in me to try anymore. There is a great deal of truth to actually expressing your feelings and telling people that you care about them, because those things that go unsaid tend to be forgotten. Funny how life works, huh?

I am not sure where I am going with this. Things on my "to-do" list are chalking up and I have very little time in the day to accomplish everything. I don't really feel like I have a lot of weight on my shoulders, but there is this nagging feeling I can't brush off.







Winter quarter has been miserable and dreary to say the least, yet I have had so much fun forging friendships in NBN, hanging out at coffee shops and exploring Chicago. The ups and downs make any general reflection of my 2009 winter quarter a toss-up. Just yesterday, Laura and I hopped on the Intercampus Shuttle and visited Pressure Billiards and Cafe because I needed to take pictures for an NBN audio feature that will hopefully be up in the next few days. The entire neighborhood near Loyola University held an air of quirkiness. A funeral home sat next to a loan office. Next to that was an Egyptian restaurant, a local liquor store and a cozy, little coffee shop. With such an eclectic collection of shops, it was hard to really place my finger on what type of neighboorhood it was. Pressure Billards & Cafe? An adorable little sit-down area with regulars ranging from college students to working class men. Photographs were scattered across the walls and the clutter in the cafe was more comforting than overwhelming. A lady, who worked behind the counter, sat at the table next to us playing cards with a friend. People sat glued to their laptops, working on work and school assignments. Others nestled into the black leather couches with a book to read. Laura and I? We had a delicious plate of cheesy fries and white raspberry hot chocolates. Warm and sweet, white raspberry hot chocolate is in fact deceiving; it hardly tasted like chocolate.

Nonetheless, it was refreshing to walk around, talk, catch up and hang out off campus for three hours even with the shuttle time confusions and whatnot.

But, it is time to crack down. Or maybe it is time to hit Clarke's again and find a remedy to the busy workload.

Be Mine

I hope everyone is having a happy Valentine's Day. I am not a big fan of this holiday and especially not this year. It doesn't make sense to me. Why would you celebrate your love for friends, family and a significant other on one specific day? Why give into the pressure and expectations when making plans and doing simple things seems more special and priceless. Maybe that's just me. Keep it simple, that's my motto.

Although, my friend Janise and I spent a good three hours making candy grams for our friends to get into the holiday spirit, so to speak. Felt hearts? Embroidery thread? As much as it is a cute idea and gesture, sewing handmade candy grams took wayyyyy too long. It was fun though.

But, you'll have to excuse me. I have a date with my homework.

Relax

Things that help me relax:
1. Hot cup of tea or coffee
2. Warm chocolate chip cookies
3. Listening to Norah Jones while curled up in bed
4. Catching up on episodes of my favorite TV shows
5. Taking a nice walk and breathing in that fresh air
6. Taking a drive around my neighborhood back home
7. Sketching
8. Dancing and stretching
9. Lying still and listening to cars pass by outside
10. A really great massage

And so many more.

It's going to feel great to be home.

Broken.

It has barely been three hours since I woke up and everything has gone wrong. The sky is gray. The rain is coming down heavily. I am already late to class when I get a phone call from my photo editor about an accident on Sheridan Road. I can't pass up an opportunity to shoot an urgent news story, especially one that I know NBN is covering as I hung up the phone. So I grab my d90 and run out the door. I trudge down Sheridan in my clunky houndstooth rainboots, snap two photographs and walk quickly to class. I make a scene because I am walking in late to a class of less than forty people. I place my stuff down and next thing I know, my camera falls to the ground. Adrenaline rush and all, I worried that the heavy fall damaged my camera but did not think much of it until I picked it up and I heard clinking inside the camera.

The glass on my lens shattered.

What a great way to start my day.

Remedy

Sunny days really can cheer people up. With 60-degree weather, Northwestern students were out and about, with a bounce in their steps. The wind blew off the lakefront, a little old lady fed the ducks some bread and some men even casted fishing poles, hoping to catch some fish. People sat on the benches outside of the dorm playing guitar and ukulele. Mostly everyone had smiles on their faces. Sure, mid-terms are still consuming our lives and the workload is just as heavy as it was the last five weeks, but at least the good weather lifted some of the weight off our shoulders.

Sweet tooth

Check me out over here today because I am very proud of the wonderful collaboration between NBN's writers, photographers and multimedia staff. Three days and a few retakes later, we have a little feature on some of the best and worst chocolates that can be found in Evanston.

Our set-up for chocolate shots? A small light box, made out of one of those bulk printer paper cardboard boxes with frames cut out on either end and a opening on top, a desk lamp, acrylic glass, a piece of white wood and black poster board. A little unconventional, but it did the trick.

Inspire

I saw this on one of my daily reads a few months ago and found it absolutely inspirational. I didn't even turn on the volume while I watched it the first time. There's just something about it that is cute, simple and sweet.

With mid-terms and meetings finally coming to an end, blogging will ensue.

Into the past

Since I have been a little busy with JOUR 201-2 and mid-terms, I haven't been taking out my camera as much as I would like and I know I have missed photo opportunities: geese hanging out in front of the dorm, So Real Cru and FarEast Movement at Celebrasia (although, to my defense, I was filming for 201-2), random snow shots, etc.

With that, here are some photographs that I took for North by Northwestern in 2008 that I can finally post because of our publishing rules.









Mind you, I took these with a Canon Rebel, a camera I am hardly familiar with, and an 18 - 50mm lens, not exactly ideal for sports.