One Last Time

I met with my conversation partner for the last time today. It was a bittersweet moment for me. The sweet part of it is the fact that the school year is basically over and I will get to go experience some things outside of Fort Worth. The bitter part is that this will probably be the last time that I get to see Isabela. She will be returning to Brazil at the end of the summer to continue her education at home. We somewhat reminisced today and just talked about what this has meant to each of us. I am honestly very grateful to have Isabela as my conversation partner. As I had expressed in a previous post, I was unsure of these pairings after being with Jun. I had nothing against him but it wasn’t a connection that was working. However, once Isabela and I were paired I felt that this was a good program to be a part of. I have definitely gained a friendship from this experience. We have been able to have a variety of conversations, from the really light shallow ones that a person has with most people, to the deeper underlying topics of this world. I’ve also enjoyed, like today, being able to talk to her about her home country. I think the best thing outside of actually visiting is talking to a native about it. She has told me a lot about this large country, from the poverty and wealth, to agriculture that I can relate to. Plus I have been given the opportunity to give her insight about Texas and the United States as a whole. It’s been nice to help her understand more about the place that she is living in.  When it comes to English itself, I’m not sure that it’s a good thing or a bad thing that I have unintentionally taught her some Texas slang. I naturally used ain’t and y’all and pretty much every other word in the Texas version of English. She even asked me what those words meant. I would definitely like to meet up with Isabela in the future but know that that is unlikely. She will definitely succeed both in the States as well as abroad though with her ambition. I definitely learned how to take from that about her. 

Zoo Trip

My trek to the zoo was a very interesting experience and definitely one full of laughter, for myself as well as many others at the park. I went with a small group of people, some of which were in our class and some which were not. In this first picture I came across some children laughing. It seemed that they were laughing from the water that was pouring from above. It was definitely contagious as the other kids began laughing and soon started to get involved in the fun that happened. They were laughing and enjoying themselves so much that they tried to pull their mother into it as well.

The second picture is of a young boy at the alligator exhibit. I assume his laughter is more in awe of the big reptile swimming around than anything else. I felt as though that the boy had never seen something such as this giant creature and his laughter exemplified it. He was overjoyed by this experience and laughter showed that.

The last picture is of a couple at the tortoise exhibit. In short, they were laughing at the tortoises that were getting… “intimate”… There were some very weird noises that were being made by these animals that was getting everyone laughing. It definitely was contagious laughter because as soon as someone thought they could hold it together they proceeded to bust out laughing again when someone else laughed.

Negative Humor

Negative humor is a degrading humor that can be used to make fun of individuals or big groups as a whole. Some everyday humor gets thrown to the side and is way too normal of an occurrence. However, sometimes the negative humor is such a big ordeal that it can make national news. That is what occurred when the Oklahoma University Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. A video was revealed of members of the fraternity chanting racial slurs against African Americans, stating that they would never join the fraternity with them. This occurred on a bus ride to an event. One of the dates was able to get it on video and it leaked to the media. This created an uproar across the United States, causing many people to question fraternities as a whole. Negative humor can be extremely cruel. It’s said that words can’t hurt people but calling people names and putting them down and making them beneath you is wrong. The two men who were caught on video were expelled from Oklahoma University for their actions. Furthermore, the entire Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter was removed from campus. The actions of these two men didn’t stop there. The entire Greek community nationwide has been under fire because of this incident of negative humor. Students know that they must be on their best behavior now because not only their chapters, but all the chapters on their campuses could be jeopardized by a mistake. This explains the power of negative humor. This explains how saying one thing that might be meaningless about a race or some group of people really in essence is something much bigger. Racism has been a leading topic in the media recently with all the riots and police shootings. It’s very controversial and it’s hard to stop it when it is constantly being talked about negatively and especially when it is made out as a joke. Negative humor is something that needs to be addressed. Just as racism is something that needs to be addressed, negative humor is something that we as a society need to stop. It is a tool for the cowardly and  the brave people who stand for what is right and moral need to address the problem at hand.

Finals Stress Relieve

I had a gathering of friends in my room on Sunday night. And by gathering it was my friends Adam, Hayley, and my roommate Taylor. We were all laying around watching TV and being typical best friends just picking on each other. Well the picking on turned into a jab here and a poke there. Next thing you know, Taylor is telling Hayley they should fight.  Just like their encounter in January I think that it’s a joke. However, one thing leads to the next and Hayley and Taylor are facing off with each other. It beginnings with Hayley going strong. She throws a few jabs at Taylor but he doesn’t take any of them very hard. Then Taylor decides it’s time for him to retaliate. He grabs onto Hayley and tries to get a hold. He eventually gets her into a decent hold but she is fighting to stay up. Next thing you know and Taylor grabs Hayley’s leg and basically flips her downward. She lands headfirst into the ground. At first Adam and I look at the whole situation in shock. But instead of reacting negatively to the situation we just proceed to laugh. We laugh really hard. My stomach was wrenched tight and looking over at Adam, he looked to have the same feeling. I looked up at Taylor and he is laughing pretty hard as well, however, his face seemed to have a nervous look as this was the second head injury incident he has had with Hayley. Then there was Hayley. Poor Hayley. This was the second time we laughed uncontrollably this semester before ever helping her out. I think that says a lot about friendships though. When you can choose to laugh with friends and make the most of a negative situation it just creates bonds with each other. I can laugh with these people and always find a way to just be happy. I had been stressing over finals and yet these were the people that I could relax with. I didn’t expect to see a spontaneous fight just break out and occur but these people find ways to have fun and create laughter. I even think this laughter is a form of love for each other and everything that this school has to offer. I am definitely going to miss these guys as summer rolls around. When the summer is over though, the laughter will pick right back up.

Late Night Chaos

Last night was a night full of memories that I won’t forget. I along with my friends Taylor, Hayley, and Zach were gathered in Zach’s room just hanging out and talking about life. It was an entertaining night of just sitting around talking about life. We covered a wide array of topics before deciding, at 5:15 in the morning, that it was bedtime since we had school tomorrow. What came next was probably the most entertaining part of the night though. 

Hayley was sitting in a black chair on. Taylor and I got the idea to pick her up while she was sitting in that cheer and carry her through the basement, to the elevator, up to the second floor, and right up to her room. However, we never quite made it that far. Right before leaving the room Taylor exclaimed, “Just so you know I’m going to drop you.” I, along with the other two, thought he was kidding. However, right as we reach the narrowest part of the hallway, Taylor releases the chair and Hayley goes tumbling. It was a slow motion fall as I watch her head smack right into the wall and make a loud noise. The next thing to happen explains our friendship perfectly. Everyone busts out laughing. Zach is hurled over his knees just laughing, Taylor has fallen onto the floor in fits of laughter, and I am having to use the wall to support me in this uncontrollable phenomenon. Hayley is lying on the floor trying to figure out if she wanted to laugh or cry and it was a pretty comical noise in itself. Then finally, after we could all catch our breath, we decided it was a good idea to actually check on her and make sure it was okay. When all was well we laughed up the stairs and called it a night. Making it a fun unpredictable turn of events. I feel as though this won’t be the last time this group of friends do something crazy and have us an unforgettable, hilarious, moment that will make our memory books.

Friends

Having a mentor in college can be an awesome experience. Especially when that mentor is an older student. They have been in your shoes and yet are still on the same path as you. They also are genuinely a friend. I know over the course of this semester I have learned a lot from my mentor, Michael Walton. I met Michael when he was my frog camp facilitator at Frog Camp Paris. We bonded across the ocean and then kept in contact when we got back in the fall. I would catch lunch with him on occasion but really got to bond with him this semester.  Being able to sit across from a table and talk about life with this guy has been an awesome opportunity. He is one of the most well rounded, good hearted, faithful individuals I know and to have him influence me makes me really lucky. Just this last weekend I had the opportunity to sit down with him while eating at Woodshed (we decided we would get something really good for a last meal before he graduates). He is working for a nonprofit company in the Dominican Republic at the end of the month and won’t be back for a year. Because it will be a while I just grilled him with questions and advice. The advice for me is something that I will be able to hold with me throughout college. Something that he told me that I didn’t think so much about before pertained to Frog Camp. He told me to make the very best of it. He said how this is an opportunity to meet a diverse group of people that I normally wouldn’t interact with. He also said how unexpected friendships, such as our own, could be formed through it. I really took that to heart. I had thought Frog Camp would be a cool experience already but to realize that I just need to be intentional with it and that I would grow that way was something I liked to hear. It’s going to be sad to see him graduate and then move off to another country after this month. However, he has been a role model and showed me who I want to aspire to be when I graduate college three years from now. I have learned a lot over in my classes but these intangibles that will help me grow as a person are just as, if not more, important. I look forward to getting the opportunity to grill him when he returns stateside for more insight on life.

LitCiv 2 experience

This class has been interesting so far this semester. I was really nervous how it was going to be at the beginning since it was an honors class and my first experience with a cultural visions course. I didn’t know if I would struggle or enjoy it. If I would blow by it or actually learn it. Since then I can say I have definitely learned a lot in this class. Getting to talk about humor has been a pretty cool subject. In the past I just associated humor with laughter and jokes and didn’t think any more of it. However, after quickly videoing people and asking him what they thought humor meant, I realized I had a lot to learn. Since then I have been able to walk into that class and have no idea what I am going to learn. We have covered so many different topics just from talking and interacting with each other. It has been awesome. I’ve even learned a little bit from Morreall, although it has been grueling to get through. I think what I’ve most enjoyed and learned in this class is the Humor Around the World projects. It has helped me to open up my eyes to different cultures and the way they work with each other. I think humor is also definitely something good to know about before entering a foreign country. It would not be a good idea to crack a joke that natives do not find very appealing. I can say I’m actually prepared now. I know learning about French humor was really cool. It is definitely much darker than it is hear. It is pretty inappropriate to joke about death here and I am almost certain I would be shocked by the amounts of it there. It’s also interesting to hear that certain countries’ languages make a difference whether or not something is funny. That is something I have never stopped and considered when thinking about humor. That is one of the reasons I really enjoy this class. It makes you question things that you wouldn’t normally give the time of day. I think that is one of the most productive ways of learning. To dig deep into a person’s brain and make them question all the minor and different things that helps them understand the world more. I hope to continually learn this through the rest of the semester and hope to hear more about the humor that this class has to offer. Oh and the funny youtube videos always seem to brighten the day.