"Moni from Monticello"

As written in my physical journal:

With four straight games of soccer, we won all three and lost the last match. I had fun running around the field, and was glad Zainab joined in the game. That girl really has some guts, I admire that! She was also the brave one to climb all the way up the tall structure during the ROPES course. During yesterday's game, the soccer ball hit my hand, so my wrist feels a bit funny, but at least I can write now.

Going to Thomas Jefferson's house Monticello was a blast. Our first tour guide took half our group around his physical house, and I thought TJ was very innovating in utilizing space. I'd love to own a home like him; it's functional, orderly and cozy although I wouldn't need an estate as large as his. Sans* the fields and slave quarters too. Monticello's almost as pretty as Mount Vernon (George Washington's house) when I went in eighth grade. Earlier in class, people called President TJ was a hypocrite for wanting black rights yet owning hundreds of slaves and although I stayed quiet, I disagreed. I think there was a deeper struggle between keeping status quo, maintaining economic prosperity and his personal desires. Everyone has their vices/flaws, right?

I was listening to Maribel's Ipod when we were on the bus, and our music tastes overlap by 90%. I absolutely adore Pink**, and was glad to listen to her songs during the trip. One memorable bus moment was when the two of us were watching Britney Spear's "Womanizer" music video. Moni sat a seat behind us, and it was a bit weird to say, since the was an abundance of nudity on the screen. Most foreigners know America through our media, but I am a bit embarrassed about how the popular mainstream music features a wealth of sexual content and the movies stress violent retaliation. I used to like watching the news too, but then I discovered the bias behind major TV channels. In the long run, I really hope I will not corrupt anyone on this trip by affirming the negative stereotype of wild American teenagers.

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*Without
**Great pop music artist with a bit of grunge flair
Image Source: Tamar
With much love, Kathy P.

Woah! Everyone is asleep

"Hey girl. Hey!" "I love this place, but the people here are even better."

The assignment was to write 300 words about my "first impression about the BFSIA program". Well, I arrived to the Dulles Airport around 10pm at night, and met some of the American fellows, and came back to the GMU dorms at 12pm. The girls were asleep so I could not introduce myself. However, the next day was fascinating. I met so many people that it was difficult to remember everyone's names and their countries, but it was a positive experience. Everyone seems like a nice person, and I hope I get to know them better over this month. I think my room-mates are really cool: Meena and Asina. Their names rhyme! I am excited that the program started already, how did the days go by? And I wonder how I got here. Mashed potatoes, yellow scrambled eggs, sausage and bacon strips for breakfast was a hearty meal. I liked the GMU campus, but the hot and humid weather made it hard to bear at first. The food was decent at the Southside cafeteria. I worked with the other Americans to present Halloween and Valentine's Day, and it was entertaining composing the project. I was pretty happy when we started dancing after the holiday skits. When we returned to the dorms, Ayeesha and the other girls taught us how to dance. Most of us joined in, and added our own dance moves to the beat. It was fun. And yesterday, we danced throughout cultural night!

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Image Source: I took it!
With much love, Kathy P.

Mendi on my Hands, Hands. Pedicure on my Toes, Toes.

It rained today! Thunder and lightning filled the sky, and it was the first warm rain for a long time. I haven't experienced weather like this since grade school. There has only been one thunderstorm in my life before this one. Carly pulled me out into the rain. We ran around the campus, danced, jumped into puddles, and ran back into the dorms for a nice shower. The other participants were also soaking after the weather. I forgot to mention, but I saw Anthony Phan and the JROTC JLAB team* today. It was nice seeing people from Andrew P. Hill and I hope to bump into them later on. We held a cultural night, where many of us danced. I guess it's a universal activity, and I really enjoyed the opportunity to pick up some new dance moves. No one minds if you dance well or badly, and it is very stress relieving. Being at George Mason is much more fun than staying at home this summer. I should also post a photo of the mendhi (henna tattoo) that Ayeesha drew for me. She's talented in the art, and I love the designs she made. The henna dried quickly, and I adore the amber brown color left behind.

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*They were schoolmates.
Image Source: I took it!
With much love, Kathy P.

"Sunshine Shower" to Wake Everyone Up

Today is the first day I have met the participants awake. We received binders and material from the State Department, and had time to explore the campus. It is remarkably hot at GMU, so I'm glad we have water bottles by our side, even though the campus water tastes a bit weird. I expected to find a cafeteria that has fluorescent lights, minimal tables and a long line of people carrying food trays, but Southside has exceeded my expectations. It looks really nice inside, but I have to admit, I might gain a few pounds eating the food there.

We broke into country groups today, where I met the other Americans. There are two other students from California, and even though we're from the same state, I seem to be oblivious to much of the culture of Southern California. Actually, I am an anomaly. Maybe I have been living in Plato's Cave for too long, or haven't watched enough TV.

Responding to Joe I said: Wait, "ice" means jewelry?

After it all, every country group presented their national holidays. The Americans did well I thought, showing a funny skit about Valentine's Day and Halloween.

-Hey guys, what are you going to be for Halloween?
-I'm going to be a ghost.
-I'm going to be Will Smith.
-I'm dressing up as a very, very, very scary thing....A cat!

Continued...
-I'm going to be a Native American for Halloween!
-Wait Anil, I thought you were already an Indian!

The jokes are funnier when performed than written out, especially since a person sees the context behind the lines. I think everyone did a great job, and we broke out dancing to cultural music after several performances. The exercise had me ready for dinner at Ike's, this small outlet near the place we picked up our room keys. Afterward, we met Brittney the final American for this program! I really enjoyed the first day. I have a feeling that I'm going to love this program.

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Image Source: Tamar
With much love, Kathy P.

Arrival Day: "Yay! We're here"

As written in my physical diary:


26 Jun 2010
The flight layover to Chicago feels monotonous without a TV screen or radio station access plug equipped to my seat. What is a girl to do? I brought my summer reading books in my backpack, but I've already read through all of them! Asides from the occasional bodies of water, the ground below looks all the same: green, gold and beige fields in the Midwest. I remember that the trip took less time when I was flying with Continental earlier (SJ to Austin to DC, DC to Denver to SJ back), but at least with Southwestern it's open-seating arrangements with "complementary snacks and beverages". I slept soundly after I boarded the plane and found a window seat, but when I woke up an hour later the plane was yet to depart. Forty-five minutes later, we finally left the runway. Right now, I see something amazing the left of me. There is a thick fog of clouds that the plane is passing through; the view is creme fraiche, a sea of buttermilk surrounding the plane's body. It is a nice change from the farmland body of Mother Terra.


Later that day...
Guess what? I am in Sandora's* hometown, Chicago! Actually, I am writing in the plane leaving the city, because I had only an hour to spend before this flight. There was another participant from Chicago, and I wished that we took the same flight to DC, but there's no sign of her here.
When we approaching the Midway airport, I began to see suburbia again! All the houses seemed to have swimming pools in their backyard, and I am remarkably jealous--I haven't gone swimming this summer yet. The food court is spectacular, there are too many choices on where to eat, but I settled for the Italian option. I don't regret it either! The food is great. I am enjoying a generous portion of penne alla primavera; I never thought vegetables and pasta could taste so great together! I was tempted to purchase a I <3 Chicago T-shirt and post on Sandora's Facebook wall, but one, airport merchandise is overpriced and two, I have no Internet access. I was irritated during the last flight because the crew never announced what time we would land, but according to the staff on this flight, I have 1h25 until we hit DC. There are noticeably less people in this plane too, so I get a whole row to myself.  


Outside my dorm room at George Mason University (GMU)...
Dulles is a pretty airport, it looks ten times better than the Reagan airport. My flight arrived on time, and I boarded this neat shuttle that took me to baggage claims. Shortly, however, I noticed that I did not have any contact information from the BFSIA organizers. I mistakenly added the fax line number as the phone number for their office, and wasn't sure what to do, so I walked around. Ten minutes later, I had my bag and found the right people to talk to. I think their names were Brett, Lori and Lane. It's nice meeting new people. There were two boys from Texas(Anil and Daniel) who arrived an hour before I did, and I already forgot who is from Austin and who is from Houston**. We waited another hour for Robert from Oregon, but it turned into an hour and a half. I am not sure what happened with his flight, but we were off to the vans.
On the way to GMU, I thought,"Wow. How bizzare, I'm in a van full of strangers at midnight; normally, that would be a dumb thing to do." However, I think I'll be alright. We received our our dorm keys, toiletry, sheets, swipe cards, water bottles, t-shirts and extra gear for "class" which starts later next week. I wish I opted for an earlier flight because most of the girls went to sleep two hours before I came to the dorms. When I came into my room, it was pitch-dark and my roommates were asleep. I was afraid to turn on the lights, fearing that I would wake them up, but I already did when I started unpacking. They looked really tired and resumed sleeping. I don't know their names yet, but I should ask tomorrow. I left my pasta leftovers in my room, smells appetizing.


Other thoughts that day which weren't written down, but I now remember:

First night in, and I was surprised to be paid. The allowance was for dinner, but I was content with my pasta dish that I still had from Chicago, so there's extra cash in my pocket, yay!

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*my super-funny, cool former chemistry teacher
** I remember now at least!
Image Source: --
With much love, Kathy P.