Loneliness

I decided to enter a Spanish writing competition at my school where you can enter a short story, an essay or a poem. And of course I wrote a poem, because I suck at short stories and the thought of attempting more Spanish grammar than necessary, is not particularly appealing.

I finished my poem on Sunday after thinking about it for the whole weekend. It's called La soledad or Loneliness. It rhymes in Spanish, but not too much in English. The Spanish version is first, and then my English translation (it sounds better in Spanish :P)

La soledad

La soledad
es una oportunidad
para examinar la realidad
de ayer

La soledad
no da racionalidad
pero la claridad
en el mundo

La soledad
es una invisibilidad
y una dualidad
nadie puede ver

La soledad
es la tragedia de edad;
la longevidad
de tiempo

La soledad
es fragilidad;
es la casualidad
de ser.

Loneliness

Loneliness

is an opportunity

to examine the reality

of yesterday

Loneliness

does not bring rationality

but rather clarity

in the world

Loneliness

is an invisibility

and a duality

no one can see

Loneliness

is the tragedy of age;

the longevity

of time

Loneliness

is fragility;

it is the casualty

of being

♥ Turtles

Springtime, I love you ♥

I'm not to sure when the official start to ♥♥SPRING♥♥ is, but I'm going to say it was yesterday. Why? Because I lost an hour of sleep changing my clocks so it had better be for a good reason.

But anyways, today is the nicest and loveliest day it has been in a long long time. All last week was rainy and dreary and cold. Actually, not rain, but rather falling slush, through which cars drive and splash you :( But today made up for all of that!! The sun is shining, the birds chirping, not hats or mittens required! And I like it.

I decided to embrace it a bit and do some errands (really just one and a mini, completely unnecessary, shopping spree). I had to return some books to the library so I headed on the streetcar to enjoy the sunshine (I know, it's inside, but it's better than the subway). I went to pay fines. Ridiculous fines!!! 50 cents a day per book!!!! WTFudge!!! 3 books + 3 days over due = $4.50!! That's, (once more), RIDICULOUS!!, considering I just came from a library system where it was only 10 cents a day :( But I paid it, because I'm a good child.

Then I did a bit of nail polish shopping, spent a bit too much money, and realized my familia is right, it's a bit of an addiction. But I enjoy it, and none of us have yet to die or be hospitalized from the fumes. So there: justified.

If you feel like reading something and you have no clue what, I recommend The Associate by John Grisham (♥ him). Good read, although I am currently in the process of completing it myself. Well, I hope you guys are having a beautiful, lovely, super-fantastic day!!

♥ Turtles

Because Franz Ferdinand makes any day THAT much better ♥♥♥

Kenya: a year later (part 2)

More journal entries and photos :)

March 13th

…We went to the tree nursery, which was not what I had in mind but fun none the less. There were little saplings everywhere, of different types of trees and flowers arranged in boxes. … Two guys talked to us about how trees were the 5th FTC pillar, not frequently mentioned but important: the environment. He told us about how every school has an environmental club and each child is provided with 3 saplings to care for. Each group has 40 members, 20 boys, 20 girls. All the saplings are planted in biodegradable milk cartons, which are donated for free by a company. 

 

 March 14th

SAFARI DAY!!

entry to the safari

So basically we woke up @ 3:30 am to go on the safari because it's such a long ways away. … the ride was probably around 3-4 hours. … The safari was on the Masai Mara Reserve, where a lot of Masai people live. … The view on the ride to the gate was amazing. So many mountains, green and luscious, apparently "hills". We saw many gazelles, zebras and other animals before we were even entered the actual safari part. … Just outside the gate, we saw two lions. We, along with a few other lorries and safari trucks, crowded around, apparently making the lions nervous. When we entered the gate I had to go to the washroom and basically the toilet was a hole in the ground. … where you have to squat and aim. Not to pleasant, but when you gotta go, you gotta go.

The safari it self was amazing! Soooo many animals and unique things you would not normally got to see. … The animals we saw were: zebras, elephants, tikis, lions, giraffes, jackals, hyenas, gazelles, cheetahs, baboons, hippos, a crocodile, warthogs and antelope. 

Why is the green thing licking the cherry?

… It had started to rain a while back and we were taking the drive kinda slow. We were on the major (or rather only) road to Salabwek when our lorry got stuck in the mud and two wheels were in the air on one side. [Note: the roads are dirt roads, so when it rains, it becomes mud]. It was really scary when we were actually in the truck cuz everyone was leaning and sliding to one side. We got out and stood in the pouring rain, … and walked for 45 mins to Salabwek, which we could see in the distance. … It was a totally new experience getting soaked to the bone, walking up and down hills, beside maize crops, along side the locals, who came prepared for the weather with umbrellas and raincoats. It was so refreshing, supporting each other as we slipped in the mud and enjoying the beautiful view and scenery at the same time. 

The lorry stuck in the mud

♥ Turtles

p.s. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye. - Miss Piggy. 

Kenya: a year later (part 1)

R.I.P. Scotty McSpockston

(Be forewarned - long post) March 9th 2010, I traveled with my school and Me to We, a part of the Free The Children organization, to Kenya. We went to do the stereotypical thing you think of when you hear a bunch of high school students traveling to Africa: to build a school. Or rather, a part of it. There were 13 students, 2 teachers and 1 husband all going together. And the trip was awesome. Truly awesome.

At the giraffe sanctuary

For the duration of the trip I was able to keep a journal where I wrote thoughts and events and kept little mementos. It was my first time to Africa (and hopefully not my last), so I wanted to make sure I recorded everything. I thought in honour of the trip, I would post a few pics and parts of journal entries. Mind you, these entries are laureate quality writing or anything, but they basically kept a record. Today: part one. Enjoy :)

March 11th, 1:40 pm

Great Rift Valley

Right now we're heading through the Great Rift Valley. It's frickin' HUGE. Apparently it runs from Kenya to Tanzania and into Uganda as well. There are mountains surrounding it. I'm not sure which is Mount Kenya or even if it's in this part of the country, but the view is breathtaking none the less. We stopped at a view point where we took pictures and ate lunch (samosas).

After 10 pm

These come in tree, bush and weed form

 We're in the Masai Mara [not actually - we were in Salabwek, the community we stayed in], in our tents, under our mosquito nets ready for beds, listening to the convos next to us. … So basically the Mara is awesome. The community of Salabwek is right outside. When we first arrived, we were in the lorry which was behind our luggage van, which got stuck right when we got here. It was kinda funny because there were a bunch of guys trying to push it out of the mud. But basically once our lorry stopped, we were crowded by children and students, primary and secondary. I heard someone say to the secondary school kids, "There are people who look like you in Canada". I assume they were about me [I was the only black kid on the trip], and that they had the preconceived notion that all westerners were white. Melanie [my Guyanese friend] told me that when she was in the market some one asked her what tribe she was in. The whole experience has been, quite frankly, weird, kinda. Not really the best description but that kinda sums it up. 

Outline of the camp: 

- 7 tents, some doubles, singles and multiples [referring to the amount of people inside]
- One tent for eating
- 3 bathroom outhouse tents
- Two shower tents
- Electric fence surrounding perimeter (mainly to keep out dogs and wondering animals)
- Staff area with kitchen and tents

 

March 12th

…Then later we headed off to the school [we were heading to an outdoor welcoming ceremony]. It was probably one of the most, in an "uncertain, not so sure what to expect, might be overwhelmed, very intimidating, maybe kinda scary", moments of the trip. Having a mass of small children, between 500-600 approximately, come up to you while singing/chanting a song you don't know. It was quite random but also kinda touching at the same time, because they were singing a song of welcome for our arrival.

…To be quite frank, I have always felt kind of apprehensive about trips like these, because I feel like they might be just one big pity party. I try to imagine how I would feel and I wouldn't want a great big group of people pitying me in my current state. Just because I don't have much, doesn't mean I want your pity. ← That's how I would feel. But today caused me to see that truly and honestly, the members of the village, the parents of the children receiving this education, the school staff and teachers, everyone was really grateful for the work FTC and Me to We had done. …

Till next time, ♥ Turtles 

thoughts? questions? leave in the comments :) 

p.s  The glue on Israeli postage is certified kosher. Now you know.

Just a bit of poetry...

Think back to my Challenges post, where I said I would attempt to draw something everyday for 30 days. Well, scratch that. I can't draw, and the prospect of doing that is actually very unappealing. So instead, I've decided to try and write at least one poem everyday, for as long as I can. Much more reasonable, although their quality is highly questionable.

So far it's been going well. I started yesterday, because I like to start things either on Sundays or Mondays. I won't post every poem I write but I've decided that I will probably post some from the week on Tuesdays.

The first one is a sonnet, because I haven't written one since gr. 11 English. I'm pretty sure it follows the rules, but is not to strict with the iambic pentameter. It is based on my Me to We trip to Kenya, a year ago tomorrow (post to come!). Salabwek is the name of the community we stayed in.

Salabwek

A soft orange sun rises on the plains.

The rooster awakens with the new dawn.

Mosquitoes on my arms bring me new pains,

While scars across my body are drawn.

But the scars do not last long, for today

The skies are filled with a healing power.

By Mother Nature's will I must obey

As the rain becomes my natural shower.

In the fields afar I hear a child

Singing a song of welcome to the air.

Jambo Bwana to this land so wild.

He sings: What is mine is ours to share.

I find myself so far away from home,

But embracing this land, to me unknown.

The second one was written today and was inspired by a line in The Gospel According to Peanuts, a book I am currently reading. The line is taken from Time Magazine: "Man now rejoices, said Time, ' that, to some extent, he has been freed from the fear of hell-fire, not realizing that he has instead been condemned to the fear of nothingness.'" Deep stuff.

What I Fear…

I fear for what the world will become.

I fear that which we have created will become that which leads to our own demise.

I fear that our belief in the tangible will destroy the unknown.

I fear that our civilization will result in nothing but a blip on the timeline of the universe.

I fear that the world will not explode, but whimper to its death.

I fear the vacuum of space, which will draw the last bit of breath from our lungs.

I do not fear Hell, but rather the vast emptiness of nothing to which we are all doomed.

♥ Turtles

p.s. Instead of saying handsome or beautiful, why not try "facial gifted"  it's random :)

50 Book Challenge (#1)

Mi lista!! The "to read" list will probably change based on what's around me or if I find something I really wanna read. I included audio books to my list and it's pretty much in order of how I read them.

Any suggestions?? Leave a comment :)

Read/Listened to:
Born Red by Gao Yuan (*****)
Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan (audio book) (****)
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (****)
Rosaura a las diez by Marco Denevi (in my Spanish Lit class - very good book) (****)
Paper Towns by John Green (actually went out and bought it after i read it) (**** 1/2)

Reading/Listening to:
SuperFreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner (sequel to Freakonomics) (audio book)
The Siege by Ismail Kadare
The Gospel According to Peanuts by Robert L. Short

To Read:
The Associate by John Grisham
Next by Michael Crichton
Balance of Power by Tom Clancy
Avant de te dire adieu by Mary Higgins Clark (a french translation)
Theories for Everything by John Langone, Bruce Stutz, Andrea Gianopoulos (a National Geo book)
Looking for Alaska by John Green

5/50

♥ Turtles

p.s. How bout a J-Lo flash back for y'all??  ♥♥♥♥ this song

I'm Obsessed with the Mess that's America

The title is from the song "Hollywood", by Marina and the Diamonds. I downloaded her album recently and I really, really, really love it. But that one line stuck out to me: I'm obsessed with the mess that's America. This statement, is unfortunately true; not only for me, but for much of the world. Marina is British and in her song she talks about Hollywood; the standards, the craziness, the perceptions, all of it. Listening to it made me wonder, why? Why do we care so much about America?

I'm not talking politics, because clearly whatever the U.S. does affects the world. I'm talking about pop culture: reality television, music, tabloids etc. We, western society, seem to be addicted to drama. The more dramatic, the better. Take Charlie Sheen for example. Well he's just spiralled downward. Of course most of his issues are of his own doing, but we as a people seem to have pulled up a front row seat and  are glued to the downfall of this man. We like it when people's lives go south because it provides us with entertainment and it keeps many businesses afloat (take People magazine or US Weekly for example).

Do we pay a attention because we are jealous of the lives these celebrities have lived? Because of their status and fame and fortune? Or have we all be trained to care about what Nicki Minaj was wearing yesterday or whether or not Lindsay Lohan's 3 day stint in rehab cured her. I admit, I tend to click articles entitled "Fashion Police" more than others about current affairs. It's sad but it's a fact for many people. A good percentage of the population are more aware of Kim Kardashian's new song (which is horrible btw), than the violence and rebellion that is occurring in Libya or the fact that the Ivory Coast is on the brink of a new civil war. 

Ultimately these people are here to entertain us, to take us away from the daily hustle and bustle of life. Musicians create sounds that we enjoy and actors take us to places and situations we could only dream of. That's a good thing. Talented people should be appreciated. Although, that does not mean that we should be creepy stalkers or obsessed fans. But it's a sad reality that Hollywood is just one, big, dramatic mess to which we are addicted...

♥ Turtles

FYI: What do Serbia, Switzerland, Timor-Leste and Montenegro all have in common? They were the last member states to join the U.N. Serbia in 2000, Switzerland and Timor-Leste in 2002 and Montenegro in 2006.