Thankful Day 14 - Estonian.

Yesterday horrible. I hit roadblocks with both my research projects. My partner for my primary historical research class dropped the course. I didn't sleep. I didn't eat. I felt like throwing up. But then I met up with Nicolas and Mike for dinner. We talked. We laughed. I went to their place for movies afterward where I promptly curled into a little human ball and fell asleep. I snored.

üks. Greats friends who let you snore on their couch without waking you.

kaks. Laughter. It truly is the best medicine.

kolm. Knowing that tomorrow is a new day.

neli. A listening ear.

viis. Open hearts - metaphorically speaking.

kuus. Smiles.

seitse. Redemption. self redemption and otherwise.

kaheksa. Life lessons and the ability to learn from them.

üheksa. Hope.

kümme. The chiropractor who aligned my stressed back today.

Thankful Day 13 - Greek.

So I've skipped a few days of thankfulness. The reason being: I was at a ballroom dance competition (Ohio Star Ball) in Columbus Ohio. My partner LaFone and I danced american and international waltz, swing/jive, quickstep, tango, cha cha, and rumba. We did good considering the competition; no ribbons this time though. I also met up with my good friend Fiona who's currently residing in Columbus. It was good to see her.

éna. My black weekend bag. It gets the job done.

dhío. Group poetry readings on the ballroom team van to Columbus.

tría. Triple chocolate cake accompanied by merlot. Eaten in a hotel bar.

téssera. Seeing Fiona drive her red VW into the hotel parking lot. I shrieked with happiness.

pénde. The laughter that ensued after horribly messing up the waltz. Quite the spectacle!

éksi. Cheering. It's great to able to cheer for teammates. It puts a smile on your face to hear your number cheered while you're on the dancefloor.

eftá. Helpfulness. Tips from more advanced dancers - whom we didn't know.

oxtó. Chats over coffee.

ennéa. Cotton Balls. I stuffed them in my new shoes to ease the pain. I guess it takes a while to break shoes in. So thankful ...

dhéka. The ability to dance.

Thankful Day 12

Things at Penn State.

um. The intitution itself. Without Penn State, there would be no State College as we know it today - no thriving community, no jobs, no Wegmans. My mom wouldn't have a job and I wouldn't be going to school with a 75% discount.

dois. The lion shrine. It's always on the prowl.

três. Williard Building. Not only does almost every student have a class in Willard at some point, but there's also the Williard Preacher, the Willard computer labs and the Willard couch (if you dare).

quatro. 40,000+ students.

cinco. The libraries. Not only is there one HUGE library, but there are other libraries scattered throughout the campus. The library and I are tight!

seis. The Nittany Lion Inn's lobster bisque.

sete. The gyms. I belong.

oito. The Old Main bells.

nove. The ballroom dance team.

dez. The college of liberal arts.

Opinions on Borat

I wasn't familiar with Ali's G's "Borat" caracter until last week. Some friends invited me to see the Borat movie with them. Not wanting to refuse an offer to socialize, I decided to go. We originally wanted to go to a movie theatre close to campus. However that theatre's showings for Borat were sold out. So we went to a much larger theatre on the outskirts of town - the Premier. The Premier was showing Borat on two screens several times throughout the night. I've never seen that theatre so packed! 5 of us nabbed the last tickets for the 10:00 showing (3 unlucking members of our party had to see another movie). We had to split up as seats were limited. I settled in between 2 couples for the offensive maddness that was about to begin.

And trust me, the movie was offensive! It's meant to be that way. But my question is: if it's so offensive, why are people laughing?

I'm troubled by this movie on many levels. Yes, I laughed at parts. At other times though, I sat with my arms crossed and no smile on my face. I saw myself on the screen. I saw my neighbors and friends and family. Perhaps I related a little too well to the characters. I saw Ali G's point and I was sobered by it.

The best commentary on the movie that I found was by Sam Adams. He said that:
"But what makes Borat troubling is also what makes it great — not to mention more subversive and dangerous than most people realize. As much as Borat leads his victims to the slaughter, he sugar-coats the bitterest pills, serving up equal portions of social critique and lowbrow comedy (including a nude wrestling match that has to be seen to be disbelieved). The character illustrates the extent to which people will go along with anything if it can be made to seem socially acceptable, and every theater full of laughing audiences proves the point. The ultimate butt of the movie's pranks isn't on the screen, but sitting in front of it."

I couldn't agree more.

Thankful Day 11

chig. ability to think freely.

nyee. ability to choose my own destiny.

sum. ability to work.

zhi. ability to attend school.

nga. ability to dress freely. Ok, so I can't go nude on a regular basis, but I'm ok with this!

dug. ability to walk freely without supervision.

dhun. ability to read.

gyey. ability to own property.

gu. ability to drive.

chu. ability to love freely.

So today's thankful post might have a feminist flair to it. Sometimes we forget that others are not so fortunate.

Thankful Day 10

fo. Horses - tennessee walkers are the best!

hinka. Skunks.

hinja. White cats with curious eyes.

taaci. Red-taled catfish.

gu. Bearded dragons.

iddu. Fat squirrels.

iyye. Border collies.

yaaha. Toads.

yagga. Turtles.

woy. Lobsters.

Thankful Day 9

As you know, I love to eat! So today's thankness revolves around food.

eyns. Pineapple - or any fruit for that matter. Cherries are a particular favorite as well. The creation of fruit was a REALLY good idea!

tsvey. Peanut butter. The rest of the world does not know they're missing!

dray. Warm blackberry and apple pie with milk.

fir. My gram's homemade noodles.

finef. Orange chicken.

zeks. Sushi.

zibn. Venison. Better than cow since the beginning of time!

akht. Tomatos.

nayn. Cheeses. Some are stinky. Some are moldy. Some I can't even prononce. But hey, who cares because it's cheese and cheese is good!

tsen. Anything with cabbage. In particular, corned beef and cabbage or cabbage and mozzarella casserole.

Thankful Day 8

een. Ice cream - all flavors except chocolate.

twee. Foot scrubs.

drie. Fresh water.

vier. Forgiveness.

vijf. Rainbows.

zes. Walking barefoot in the creek.

zeven. Fingernail clippers.

acht. James Baldwin.

negen. Habitat for humanity.

tien. Salt with iodine. Think I'm kidding? Ever see a goiter? Iodine = no goiters.

Thankful Day 7

bir. Post-it notes.

iki. Creation.

üch. 100% juice drinks.

tört. A roof over my head. When was the last time you gave food or shelter to a homeless person? Yeah, it's been a while for me too...

besh. My parents.

altï. My enemies ... they only make me stronger.

yeti. The New York Times Sunday magazine.

säkiz. Mr Green, our family mechanic.

toquz. Modern medicine. Someone remind me again why polio is still around...?

on. Racing horses down country roads.

Thankful Day 6.

uno. Party invitations.

dos. Encouragement - giving and getting.

tres. Funny stories ... "so a squirrel jumped on my shoulder today... I ended up giving them my sandwich."

cuatro. Hope.

cinco. The United States. It has an incredible history. Despite it's problems, it still affords millions the chance to live in the way they desire (...unless you're a cannibal).

seis. Long discussions into the night.

siete. Being a college student.

ocho. Movie adaptations of Jane Austen novels.

nueve. Bananas with peanut butter.

diez. The lady and her dog that I meet walking to class on mondays, wednesdays and fridays. The dog is always happy to see me. The lady and I laught at him.

Thankful Thursday

uno. Sunshine.

due. Letters in the mail.

tre. The burning feeling in your legs after an intense dance session.

quattro. Funky toenail polish patterns.

cinque. My stuffed horse - given to me after my horse Molly died. We're tight.

sei. The incredible taste of nutella and honey together on bread - both happen to be on hand in my cupboard at the moment.

sette. The full moon on a dusky night.

otto. Meeting new people.

nove. Long stem yellow roses with red tips.

dieci. The sound of rain on a tin roof.

Thankful Day 4.

I saw a little boy today on crutches. He couldn't have been more than 7. He was laughing. He yelled at the other kids to wait up for him as he quickly raced toward them. I was surprised at his speed. His face was exuberently happy. He was missing a foot. Harsh reality. At that moment his handicap didn't seem to hold him back. I pray it never will!

one. universal suffrage.

two. books that inspire thought.

three. seasonal pumpkin goodies.

four. white out.

five. dictionaries.

six. penn state despite it's cost!

seven. plane tickets to paris.

eight. those concerned with human rights.

nine. the bible in venacular.

ten. that stomach leap feeling when something or someone catches your eye - it's usually more like "something," although I do have my eye on "someone"...

Thankful Day 3.

wahid. arabic - crazy to learn as it is! beware the evils of transliteration.

ithnan. camel roars.

thalathah. peach nectar.

arbaah. the smell of orange blossoms.

xamsah. faithful digital cameras.

sittah. national geographic society.

sabah. pore strips ... the really white or the really oily know what I'm talking about! amen.

thameniyyah. microwavable food.

tisah. perrier.

asharah. the smell of tomato leaves.

Thankful Day 2

eins: Mocha Chocolate Coffee.

zwei: My mother surprising me by doing ALL my laundry (and believe me, there was a lot. I hadn't done any in over a month).

drei: Warm Sunshine on a Chilly Day.

vier: Freedom of Speech.

fünf: Kitten Purrs.

sechs: High Speed Internet.

sieben: Dark Rooms Flooded with Light from Candles.

acht: Being adopted.

neun: Full moons.

zehn: Bubble Baths.

Thankful Day 1

So you've probably noticed some stress in my words. Anger perhaps. Agony. A hint of depression. Grotesque fatigue. It's true. I run in circles - often downward spiraling.

At the end of this academic year is a grand mystery. Black space. It looms on my mind. I plan on hitting that void with a timidly fierce voracity - there is such a thing as I am the epitome of it. Trust me.

But I'm not nearing the edge of a precipice. Don't worry. I'm all right. Life is too precious. And if I live, I should live with vivid exuberance. I try.

All that being said, I strive to daily count my blessings. There are so many. Even on the darkest days I can find them. It helps to count them.

So I thought I'd start sharing them with you. It's November. Thanksgiving. What better time than now? What better medium than this? May you enjoy this. May you be blessed by this. Pray for me.

un. Long telephone conversations with friends. Damien made me laugh and yearn for France. Nicole's voice was soothing as ever. Dennis and I traveled a million miles with our words. Fiona's still, small presence inspired peace. Nicolas never ceases to amaze and delight. Charise sounded like a clear stream of water on a warm spring day.

deux. Reese's Pieces.

trois. The feel of egyptian coton.

quatre. New dance shoes with 2.5 inch heels.

cinq. Milk in glass bottles.

six. Higher Education. ... and on a more basic level, the ability to read and write.

sept. Electric toothbrushes.

huit. Orchids.

neuf. The scent of freshly cut grass.

dix. Pumpkin whoopie pies.

Life Trade-offs.

Opportunity Cost. As much as I dislike economics, I understand that life is about trade-offs. I work less, so I can study and be involved on campus more. This means less money and more long-terms benefits (I hope). My only regret is not getting involved on campus sooner. When I'm reminded that I should work more, I respond by saying I have the rest of my life to work and less than a year to enjoy college. All those long hours working at the Inn are not remembered, but my GPA during that time is! I digress.

Ballroom Dance.

First of all, thanks to Nita and Dennis for coming to my first ever ballroom dance competition! It was so appreciated guys.

So, what's all this talk about ballroom dancing? Well, last Friday I went to a ballroom dance competition at the University of Maryland. I didn't know anyone at first. I even enjoyed some quality awkward time of standing by myself. Great. I tired to talk to few persons but sometimes people aren't that welcoming to newcomers - we're all guilty of this I imagine. I thought that if the initial awkwardness was anything indication of the coming weekend, I was glad I bought books!

As it turned out, I only read half a book the entire weekend. I found myself seated in the back of a van between two guys; one of whom was my dance partner for the weekend, although we didn't know it yet. After a long ride to Maryland, we arrived at the hotel (I thought we were staying at someone's house, so the hotel was a nice surprise) and went to the competition registration. There was a halloween social dance going on. I had no costume, but tried out my newfound dance skills. When I say "newfound," I truly mean newfound - I had never danced before 2 months ago.

Saturday morning, we got up at 6. yikes! I'm not a morning person. I wasn't too perpared for this competiton. Things were kinda disorganized. I had no idea what was going on. I didn't know how to dress or even what I should have brought. But I did my best. My partner did his best (he had no idea either). Eventually we appeared on the dancefloor. Someone forgot to mention how couples walk out onto the dance floor. opps. Trial and error. We learned the next time around. We did Cha cha, Swing and Quickstep. Somehow we got to quarter finals. Talk about shock.

Sunday we danced again. We made semi-finals in international Cha cha, quarter finals in Rumba and FINALS in jive! Whoa. We made 8th place out of 90 + couples. Not too bad for a couple whom just started dancing together the day of the event! Plus unlike a lot of the people who competed in the newcomer division from PSU, we had just learned the steps. Quite impressive if I do say so myself. Next up, Ohio Star Ball in Columbus. Rock on.