Mis amigas, Te amo.

moustachulousLeave a comment

Five years of summer camp and four years of school at OVS, you make tons of friends. The great thing is that since OVS is so much fun, most people will come back and you get to see them again and again. Even when they leave, they have an impact in your life and you never forget them. I have had so many friends over the years, but the ones that have stuck with me at OVS until the end are the ones I am closet to.

If you know me, than obviously you would have to know Ali, my best friend. I have known her for 5 years and we actually met at summer camp. To be honest, I didn’t like her that much at first. Then 8th grade year, we just kind of connected and ever since then we have been inseparable. We have had our fights of course, but we just can’t be apart. As she says, “Jenna, you are my brain.” We always make jokes about how we know what the other is thinking. Some people don’t like Ali, but I don’t care. Honestly, if anyone ever tries to say anything bad about my best friend or hurts her, they might end up with a black eye. Or maybe some spiders/lizards in their bed. Just saying. Anyways, she is the greatest and funniest person ever. I can never get tired of her sense of humor.
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Exploring Outside the Walls of Viterbo

equestri vitamLeave a comment

The past three days I spent on a school orientation trip outside of Viterbo. The fact that anywhere I go in this country is absolutely beautiful like no other is still so surreal and overwhelming to me. I don’t think we came upon any ugly place, not even while driving through the more industrial cities! Everything is just incredible no matter where you are.

All 68 students plus faculty loaded up onto our huge double decker bus Thursday morning and took off to our first stop, south of Viterbo, a city called Sermonetta.

It is a medieval city just like Viterbo but much smaller. The name Sermonetta contains “monetta” which can be translated to coin, and it is said that money was coined there. Also during the Dark Ages it was a used as a fortress for the Pope.

Steps up to the Castle of Sermonetta

Our next stop was at the Gardens of Ninfa. The Gardens are located on the ruins of the old city of Ninfa. But the city was brought to an end, by whats called the Papal civil war of the 14th century. Ninfa was brought to its original glory in the 20th century by the Italian Republic named as a Natural Monument in 2002.

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Does America really need all of its power?

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rt

America has had a varied history. Originally one of the least organized countries in existence, America would become the most powerful country in the world. America’s modern history has been influenced by the modern world in which we live. America’s Power would not come without sacrifice, as power always has its price.

After World War II America’s leaders took the Monroe Doctrine to the extremes, in short they decided to become the Worlds Police Force. America would spend the latter part of the 20th century embroiled in a decades long Cold War. America’s main goal during this time was to stop communism and spread democracy.

America’s top leaders believed that if every country was Democratic then warfare as mankind knows it would cease to exist. Accomplishing this (extremely improbable) goal would require the US to stay several steps ahead of their enemies. As we all know this requires vast amounts of money.

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Kurt Vonnegut

smackyjackjack1 Comment

I have very defined opinions.

If you asked me my favorite anything, I could tell you.

My favorite author, for example, is Kurt Vonnegut.

Vonnegut has written some of the best books of all time. Sirens of Titan, God Bless you Dr. Kevorkian and, of course, Welcome to the Monkey House.

Welcome to the Monkey House has, of course, my favorite short story of all time in it. Harrison Bergeron is the story of a dystopian future due to poor government (see my last blog) and a suppressed population. The story is so good because it portrays something that could happen. Of course, governments would never become so terrible as to handicap the population, but an era of Orwellian style big brother government very well could.

Okay, now that I’ve made myself out to be a conspiracy theorist and pessimist, I’ll move on to my other favorite Vonnegut book, God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian.

Believe it or not, this is the story of how Vonnegut died. Many times. He was brought back to life by Kevorkian, and the stories in the book are of his near death experiences. Real or not, the 100 or so pages a definitely worth your time. Pondering death, and life after so, is always a fascinating topic full of superstition and most of the time, downright fear.

God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian is also worth reading just so you can hear Vonnegut’s ideas on religion (blog soon to come). This book very well may change how you look on life and death. It has the Jack Beverly seal of approval. What else do you need?

The Moon.

eternity10301 Comment

We are sitting here again. The dim moon hid her face behind the grey clouds, like home, gloomy and unreachable.

Today is the joyous Mid-Autumn Festival, the third and last festival for the living, which is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth moon, around the time of the autumn equinox. Many referred to it simply as the “Fifteenth of the Eighth Moon”. In the Western calendar, the day of the festival usually occurred sometime between the second week of September and the second week of October.

This day was also considered a harvest festival since fruits, vegetables and grain had been harvested by this time and food was abundant. With delinquent accounts settled prior to the festival , it was a time for relaxation and celebration.

 

Jack came here this weekend to spend this special day with me. Also, our group which includes Vivian, Sophia, and other my Chinese friends on campus cooked Chinese food at the girls’ lounge.

We had a good time cooking the dishes that we used to have at home, and I called them “the taste of home”. We were laughing and talking about our own customs at home. We also ate moon cakes.

As foreign students, the only way to keep us together is to remember our cultures. Festivals of different cultures can be considered as profound bonds between time and distance.Read More »

Harley, My Partner in Crime

moustachulous1 Comment

Most of you know the wonderful dog that can always be found on campus- Harley. Harley  is one of my favorite pets on campus, but there is another animal at OVS that I treasure very much, Harley. The horse Harley of course, but most of you probably had no idea that there were two Harley’s on campus.  Well my Harley is quite adorable (just saying).
Harley after a good day of riding
Almost everyday, I go down to the barn and ride Harley. He always pops his head up out of this stall when I walk by. He always has his tongue sticking out a little (last year he had to have some teeth pulled out after I found one in his stall). I love to hug Harley. I don’t know why, but I just love to hug him. He is such a sweetheart. Read More »

Cotton Candy

kirbyfullyloaded1 Comment

So…Target is the best store ever right now.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a cotton candy maker there, on clearance, for $33.

It was absolutely bomb.

To a sugar-freak, cotton candy is actually the greatest food ever.

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Home of Soul.

eternity1030Leave a comment

I was lucky enough to have a chance to visit Lijiang with my parents this summer. And till now, I still believe that my soul has settled in Lijiang and it could not escape from there any more.

Lijiang, a popular destination in Yunnan,the southern part in China, is considered a fairyland blessed with fresh air, clear streams, breathtaking snow mountains and an undisturbed landscape inhabited by a friendly group of people. The Old Town there is graced by well preserved ancient buildings and the Naxi culture.

One of the most attractive feature is the way people live and the  mood of the city. I clearly remember the very first moment when I stepped into the Old Town which lied in the center of the city – the peace and comfort strongly flipped my heart.

The small-sized houses stand together to create an atmosphere of unity. The colors are mostly grey and dark blue that take people back to the past. People live in a slow  and leisurely pace. Most residents work as tour guides and the olds spend most of  their time dancing and singing. The whole mood of the town is peace but joy.

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A Fantastic Start

displacedlocal2 Comments

Saturday’s football game against Lee Vining was a great game for us at OVS. The new players and the veterans had great games. Juniors Cody Triggs, Keaton Shiffman and John Olivo were just a few of the players that endured nearly ever play.

John Olivo also ran for one of the 8 touchdowns, shedding 5 tacklers on the way there. He had a second carry later on in the game resulting in 15 yards and a number of Lee Vining defenders with failed tackles.

Sophomore Masaki Takamatsu, in his first ever football game, ran for three touchdowns eluding the defense and shedding tackles on his way to the end zone.
He also caught a pass for his fourth touchdown of the day. Read More »

The Truth About Pinatas

Daphne Psaledakis2 Comments

As a child I was always afraid of pinatas. For one, they look absolutely terrifying. The majority of them are shaped in the form of a donkey, with obnoxiously bright colors plastered all over them. It’s like a tiny not-human version of a clown.

Pinata.

Secondly, as a very self-conscious person, being blindfolded and handed a bat did not exactly appeal to me. Especially when I was told to start beating the thing. What person wouldn’t be nervous when surrounded by a group of kids their age, and told to beat something until it broke without help from their sight?

It’s just not right.Read More »