Christen's English Blog

 A moment I experienced unexpected kindness was when I was was little and my family had gone to Walmart. While at Walmart I saw a toy that I wanted and begged my mom to get it for me. She refused to buy it for me as I already had "too many" toys. A stranger was standing by and overheard our argument. He then decided to tell my mom he'd buy it for me, and to this day, I still reminisce that moment. A reminder of the kindness that exists in this world. Today we read and learned about colorism in India. I learned that colorism that similar to racism, mostly synonymous, is discrimination against people of a dark skin tone. Not only does this affect people socially, but economically as they are often denied job opportunities such as in Bollywood, where all the actors have "fair skin". 

 A feeling that took me by surprise was when the other day while I was hanging out with some friends when I suddenly felt this random wave of gratitude hit me. I wasn’t expecting it at all, one minute we were laughing about something stupid, and the next, I realized how lucky I was to have decent people around me. It wasn’t a huge, life-altering realization, but it was one of those moments where you’re just hit with relief. It surprised me because I wasn’t even thinking about it, but I just felt so thankful for the little things. Absent 11/12

 A time I felt lost was during my first time at the Atlanta airport. Though there's many signs indicating which way leads to what, the stress at the time fogged my mind. It's easy to get stressed out at the airport and can cause panic, and seeing countless others fall into this state of mind can make you feel the same. Rushing through the airport was not a fun experience eventually, despite many accidental detours, we made it to our gate successfully. I'm now glad I was able to overcome all that chaos because now I know for sure I won't get lost. Absent 11/11

 A place I never wanted to leave was the cabin me and my friends stayed at last month. It was just very cozy and I very much enjoyed spending the time there with my friends. While we were there, I felt quite free and my mind was clear and relaxed. We had a lot of fun collectively and it deepened our friendship. The scenery there was awesome and beautiful, and apart from the cold mornings, the weather was great.  Today in class we learned about Indian culture.  I learned that when an Indian wobbles their head, it's a sign of acknowledgement and agreement. I can now use this information when I communicate with an Indian and I'll know what they mean by wobbling their head.