COLLEGE VISITS, HERE I GO...again.

Be back in a couple of days. Let's hope the visits are enjoyable.

Debunking Urban Food Myths.

 (via hypixel)

Childhood is filled with numerous gos on swings, coloring books, Chuck E. Cheese, and junk food galore. Whether it be an artificially colored, sugar dowsed beverage, unusual shapes of chicken or the inexplicably yellow nacho cheese dip, these munchies are clamored into lunchboxes to become the envy of the cafeteria. On the other side of the spectrum, there were always certain food classification I was told to stay away from/"Yuck, that's gross!". But as I grew from adolescence, I realized just how amazing they tasted. It is in my goodwill to promote the messages of disregarded/shamed foods.We, kids, definitely did not have that great of a sophisticated palate.

Urban Myth #1: Spinach
We've all seen it before, whether on television or sadly, in real life, the boiled pail of spinach which makes a SPLAT upon hitting the lunch tray (Lizzie McGuire, anyone?), but spinach is an absolutely nutritious (way more so than iceberg lettuce) and delicious alternative to be used in a salad. Add a little feta, dried cranberry, olive, and a drizzle of some oil-vinegar emulsion,  and POW, it's magic.

Urban Myth #2: Anchovies
Yes, these fish have heads. But, isn't that just as gross as that high fructose corn syrup in your slurpee? Anchovies are fantastic as a salty snack alone, but added to pizza? Divine.

Urban Myth #3: Broccoli 
Okay, I don't understand why kids avoid broccoli like the plague. A slough of broccoli on your plate highly resembles a forest, and who doesn't want to be a giant, attacking miniature replicas of trees? Raw broccoli is a different story, but steamed broccoli with a dash of salt is a masterpiece.


Urban Myth #4: Whole grain bread
Alright, so Freddy goes for the bleached "white" bread, but won't touch the more natural, browner cousin? This is bread discrimination at its worst! Whole grain bread is eaten for the conscience, basically more of an excuse to slather on a touch more of peanut butter and jelly without feeling guilty. Nevertheless, bleached and unbleached breads taste like mere reflections of each other.

Urban Myth #5: Exotic Fruits
I'm not talking about cherries or grapefruits, but about way edgy items such as dragon fruit, starfruit, pomegranate, and lychee. Forget the regular apple and banana, met their foreign counterparts! There's nothing wrong with getting your vitamin c from different produce. It's not cheating, by any means.

Hopefully, I've opened some minds in regards to trying "weird" food. Have you noticed that I left out a notorious item off the list? Brussel sprouts, anyone? No, that is one item I thank kids warn me away from.

Busboys & Poets.

Out of all the adventures which occurred this last week, my favorite trip is definitely the poetry session at Busboys & Poets, a little bar and restaurant establishment named after the African American poet, Langston Hughes. Here are some shots of the place, if you'd like to see.

The statues outside. How beautiful is the juxtaposition of an age old symbol of peace and the pop art-like colors?

A mini bookstore greets you upon your entrance. I would definitely like own such a spanning bookcase.

Dreamy curtains.

I enjoyed my brief visit so much I'm going again this Tuesday night for their weekly poetry slam. 

Here's to self-expressive literature.

You're my favorite one man show.

I'M BACK HOME. So totally exciting, yet still sad at the same time. The soonest I think I will ever see fellow ambassadors from USHMM will be February of next year when the new batch of kids begin attending class. And as for the folks from out of town, it is very very likely that I may not come in direct contact with them in the future. But I was well prepared for such a conclusion.

The most important items I take back are the memories and lessons from this past week. Individuals joined together, unified together to oppress hatred in modern-day society. The backing from such vibrant and enthusiastic people is enough to keep me going. It will feed me at times when I will lack inspiration and encouragement and it will be celebrated at times of joy and prosperity.

Sometimes, it is difficult to look beyond your bubble, whether it is your town, community, or region. Luckily, this program bursts that bubble by mixing kids from all across the United States. I interacted with students from St. Louis, Detroit, Dallas, Birmingham, Baltimore, just to name a few, and such interactions made me realize that distances do not separate communities. We are just one big community scattered, but we are still united, we are still one. I will miss all who participated in the summer youth leadership program deeply, but I know I'm not missing their support.

Oh hail, our nation's great capital.

In the land of non-vacations, any little break is necessary. I'm taking a little rest away from the internet as I embark on the longest journey away from home/parents: summer seminar at Catholic University of America. It's sponsored by the USHMM and I'm going to be networking with peers from allll over America (not to mention, staying in college dorms.) It'll only be a week (July 18th-24th), but I know I'm going to be missing my bed, bathroom and large closet space terribly (and possibly my parents, but I enjoy the extra breathing space).

I'll probably blend in with the tourist crowd, as I will be assigned on-the-job tees...but I'm super duper EXCITED. Expect updates when I get back.

Tootles for now.

YAY. THIS IS MY 101TH POST.

I can't believe I had so much to talk about.

Now, I'm going to go back to (re)reading Harry Potter. I forgot how amazing the books are.

Okay...so my life is over.

Alright, so Germany didn't win against Spain.

This is tragic.
All I can hope for now is for Holland to win...

Just this month, I've been reminiscing about going on an European vacay. It's terribly sad that I'm not going anymore :(. No vacation for me this summer amidst EVERYTHING (seminars, camps...the like). Hopefully, (and I'm counting on my lucky stars here) my parents will send me to Roma, Italia next summer. Graduation present, anyone?!

Screw this German Octopus shit.

Germany is going to win against Spain tomorrow. Too bad I'm NOT going to watch it. Oh, the dedications of volunteering...

But if Germany loses, I'm going to hide in a hole and be super depressed for the rest of my life.

Coffee shop.

So, you know those bands who perform at coffee shops? Like in the movies? Yeah, I went to one of such performances last night. 3 hours of my life, listening to boys singing, delving into the most tragic issues, basically love- unrequited.

They were decent, but they weren't swoon-worthy (well, nothing really makes me swoon), and after a few songs, they make it hard to believe that the world is anything happy, anything besides relationships, and heartbreak, and "the one". Someone, please give me a tissue.

The whole experience left me extremely tired. And in the mood to watch masculine sports like FIFA futball (which I've been neglecting...sadly). SO, WHAT GAME IS ON TODAY?!?!

By the way, Germany is da bomb diggity. I need to buy face paint for their finals showdown.

Oh, and Happy Independence Day.

I'm Baack.

I got back from my little journey down south yesterday. I must say, the atmosphere in southern and central Virginia is quite different. Everyone is incredibly hospitable and friendly, and uses phrases such as "y'all" so much, it no longer seems awkward. Additionally,  the cuisine is absolutely different, but amazing! Little restaurants crowded around Main Street, where I stayed. The locals seem to like pancakes, for out of every 5 restaurants, there was guaranteed to be at least one pancake house. Mama Steve's Pancake House seems to be a popular establishment (how quaint a name!).

I've uploaded some pictures of Fredericksburg, a town in central Virginia, if you'd like to see.

A pharmacy with a soda fountain and sit-down counters! You never see these anymore!

FAVORITE name

A little family-run restaurant. The sweet potato fries were so addicting.

The best part about this town was its slough of antique shops. I picked up a postcard from 1910...a hundred years old!

It was mailed from Harrisonburg, Va to West Virginia. Postage costs were 1 cent those days!

I guess this girl was writing to her aunt about visiting Harrisonburg. It's so old-fashioned and cute.

Alright, I think I'm going to exercise now...three days without cardio is bad :(