Yesterday was Challenge Day at my school. It was an amazing experience that I was skeptical of at first. Challenge Day is a nation wide program designed to stop bullying and the separation of cliques in school. You have to be nominated for the event or you can sign up if there is room. When we walked in, there were two rows of chairs circled around the entire gym. People sat in their typical groups - by race and social status. Then they played some music to loosen us up, as the two speakers Shereef and Erin. Erin told us to play a game like musical chairs and run for a seat at least 10 chairs away, therefore, getting everyone to break away from their group. We then did the Cha Cha Slide and other activities like hooking arms with people we didn't know and dancing with them. I was a little bored and still not understanding what was so moving about Challenge Day.


Then came family groups. We got into pairs first, held hands with a person we didn't know, looked them in the eyes, and told them about ourselves. My partner and I talked about music and movies. Then, Shereef gave us a speech about how we only show 10% of who we are, even to our friends. So he wanted us to open up and feel free to cry. We went back to our old partners and had another discussion. This time I told him my dreams and he told me about his mother's gambling problem. Shereef was right, we are never 100% real. 


Next we were put into families of 6, with complete strangers or people we had only seen in the halls. We went around the circle and finished this sentence - "If you really knew me, you would know....". I was moving and I opened up to these people more than I ever open up to others. I was with a girl I thought was a popular ditz, a guy I thought was obnoxious, and a teacher I thought was strong as steel. The popular girl, Caryn said that her family calls her fat (she isn't) and forces her to work out every day. She also has a disease that could cause her to go blind by the age of 20. I couldn't believe it. Then Ricky, the obnoxious guy, said that he takes out his anger for his sisters on his wall. In other words, there are tons of holes in his walls because I decided to hit them instead of his sisters. Another girl, Stephanie had almost been raped by a drunk man that she knew very well. Her friend walked in the room at just the right time, but Stephanie was still beaten. We all cried hysterically, but the real tears came when our rock solid teacher admitted something she didn't even tell her colleagues. She said through tears, "I am in a loveless marriage. I take it out on my children and call them stupid. I want to change so bad, but inside I hurt too much. My husband and I don't even fight, we simply don't talk." I told them about my dreams to go to Africa on a mission trip and how my parents thought it ridiculous. Then I told them how my family would "be disappointed" in me for dating a non-white person. I like someone from the Phillipines. He is my best friend and we are going to homecoming together. But, in the words of my grandmother, whites were made for whites, and other races for their own. I cried. 


Some other stuff extremely related to what I just said happened, but what I really want talk about is the line game. A tape was put across the gym. Students and teachers stood on one side of it and were told to cross the line if the category announced applied to them. Erin spoke out and said, "Cross the line if you are African-American." People crossed. She did this for all minority races. Then she said to cross the line if you were Jewish. Just one girl crossed the line, and when she realized she was alone, she broke down. It was her, alone, facing 200 students and staff. Erin said to cross the line if you were ever made fun of for you appearance and then in the most sincere voice, cracked with emotion, she asked, "What gives us the right to judge other people's bodies?" At this point, nearly everyone was crying. The last straw was when she asked people to cross the line if they have ever thought about suicide. I couldn't believe the amount of people who crossed. Erin asked, "What if these people weren't here today?" Then we crossed for being spanked, beaten, or slapped as children. The teachers cried out loud for those they had yelled at and didn't know what was going on at home. Erin asked, "If you are a girl and have been whistled at or called a slut, cross the line." EVERY girl crossed the line. Erin then said to the boys, "Take a look at them. They are your wives, your daughters, your mothers. Think before you act." All the guys stood there shaking their heads at the ground. Another question they asked was, "Has anyone had a family member die in gang violence?" A huge, strong looking, black man crossed the line. He was one of the few who hadn't cried yet, and there he was finally letting it loose. It was amazing, absolutely an eye opener. None of us are alone. 


We wrapped it up by standing up and apologizing to those we owed. One guy stood up and said "I'm huge. I've been picking on small classmates forever and I want to say sorry." He then cried and said sorry to one certain kid. The kid got up, gave him a hug, and started crying too. Another guy stood up and said, "I'm so sorry to all those girls out there that I used to cat call at. I challenge every man in here to show respect for the women in our lives, starting with me." A bunch of other apologies were made and then we all stood up to show appreciation for others. I started to break down as I said thank you to my friends for being who they are. I said thank you to Jomar (my homecoming date), Michelle, Kristen, and Meghan. We then had the challenge of hugging as many people as possible. So everyone ran around giving hugs and such. It was brilliant. We then took a group picture, wiped away the tears, and left. It was a day I will remember FOREVER.

Shakespeare is amazing. I can't believe how much I didn't know about him. I knew that he wrote his sonnets in iambic pentameter, but I had no idea how precise, complicated, and difficult it was too duplicate. Writing in iambic pentameter is a very rough process - one my teacher wants us to make an effort at. I talked to Mrs. Trubey about Shakespeare and Jane Austen after school. We discussed the sad differences between the movie for Pride and Prejudice and the novel. For one, Mr. Collins is supposed to be a fat, tall, proud character. In the 2005 film he is portrayed as a short, thin, and rather meek man. The representation of Mr. Darcy could've been better as well. When I found out that Matthew McFadyen read only the script, and not the book, I realized why. We then talked about Stratford, Ontario and a possible field trip there in the spring. It's such a beautiful city and so wonderful for a top of the line Shakespeare play.  


Oh, and I didn't mention my severe jealousy toward a classmate. Liz is going to England for Christmas with her family and boyfriend. That would be such an amazing experience. I was reminded of it on the way home from school... There's this tiny little cottage-like house that I pass every day on my way to drop off my friend Michelle. The house really belongs in a forest, it's just so gorgeous. It's very short, has a patched roof, trees all over the place, is mostly brick with green shutters, and off to the side is a huge piece of wood with an axe dug into it. If that doesn't scream woods, I don't know what does. I honestly feel like marching up to the door and asking if I can take a few pictures. It always looks like no one is home though. So, if I get enough courage to take the pictures, I will definitely post them here.

Here is a collection of my favorite Shakespeare quotes. I expect more will come, seeing as I am taking Shakespeare this semester. 



"Cowards die many times before their deaths,
The valiant never taste of death but once." 
-Julius Caesar


"We are such stuff
As dreams are made on and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep..." 
-The Tempest


"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages."
-As You Like It


"Not that I lov'd Caesar less, but that I lov'd Rome more." 
-Julius Caesar


"Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow." 
-Romeo and Juliet


"What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculties! in form and moving, how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension, how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me; no, nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so."
-Hamlet


"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him." 
-Julius Caesar


"But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." 
-Romeo and Juliet


"Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em." 
-Twelfth Night


The First Sentence Of Romeo and Juliet:
"Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean."
-Romeo and Juliet


The Last Sentence Of Romeo and Juliet:
"For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo."
-Romeo and Juliet

 

I went to the Renaissance Festival today. I loved the dusty ground, surrounding trees, food stands, archery games, jousting tournaments, and specialty shops. It was better than I remembered - In particularly, the interaction between the performers/staff and the crowd. As soon as we entered the festival grounds a short man in Renaissance clothing ran up to us, and stared at my mom as she talked on her cell phone. He then grabbed it from her hand and talked to the person on the other end saying, "Hello, why aren't you here?" in a phony English accent. It was pretty great. I guess my mom's friend Sandy said that she had to go to a Tigers' baseball game to which the short man responded, "Oh, I'm so very sorry we do not have Tigers here. I expect it would be a bit dangerous." He then dragged us off to a sword show he would be playing in in about ten minutes. At one point my mom drifted away from us as he led us to the benches by the stage, but it was only to throw away a brochure. Of course, the short man noticed her drifting and was quickly by her side clicking his tongue and saying he never lets a fan stray far from the audience.  


The sword show was cute, but when the Queen's parade passed by we just had to watch. The archery was amazing. I loved loved loved it. My brother had already done it at the Renaissance Festival last year, but this was my first time. I joked around with my sister saying I would of course be the best because I am a Sagittarius (the archer). That came true. After my first couple tries, I hit a fake animal on its tail. Not too many people had hit the animals at all, so I had a bit of pride. I'm not quite sure where I could go to learn archery but it would be an awesome hobby. After archery, we got some food and were then harrassed by the pickle man. He approached us with a huge pickle on a stick saying that we would die if we didn't buy one of his pickles. It was a believable act, sort of reminding me of something that would've actually happened back then. But we passed an even more impressive woman who was sitting on a bridge, playing her flute, and was obviously poor. When she made eye contact with someone, her eyes followed theirs until they looked away.  


At this point my sister was begging to leave. She is not in any way a history lover, an artistic person, or attracted to the the Renaissance period in the slightest. She simply wanted to go home and watch the Tigers win. Instead, we watched the beginning of a jousting match, rock climbed, and watched my brother jump around on a trampoline. Finally, to my sister's joy, we left. Overall, it was a great year for the Renaissance Festival I think. More people were there than last year and we didn't even have great weather today. I guess that's all I have to say. Wonderful festival, wonderful day... that is, until I got sick.