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With the recent attacks on Nigeria, Beirut, Paris, and even locally here during the Minneapolis Black Lives Matter movement, I hope that everyone will take a moment during their Thanksgiving to reflect on the tragedies that have occurred and remind themselves of everything that we are grateful for. I always feel like this speech is always a bit cliche to hear/say each year, but I also want to voice the importance of valuing everything and everyone that we have in our lives. In high school, I remember overhearing a conversation very clearly where a girl was complaining about her grandmother's concern about her wellbeing and just her life in general. She was dismissing her grandmother as if her concerns were not valid and not acknowledging her. That particular incident stuck with me, maybe because my extended family on both sides still reside Hong Kong. Sometimes we get so caught up in the moment that we forget who really cares about us and who we should appreciate more, and that moment reminded me of my family. More than five years have past since I last saw my extended family and I would be ecstatic if my grandmother were here in the United States to nag me to eat and ask me about my wellbeing. Nagging grandmothers or not, just be thankful that they are even here with us this Thanksgiving (in person or in spirit elsewhere) to worry about us; there are many others who wish that they can have a nagging grandmother to look after them.
To mark the beginning of Thanksgiving Break (yup, Northern schools only break for 3 days), I decided to give myself a little bit of me time and walked 5 minutes "off-campus" (it's too close to really be considered off campus though) to a Vietnamese restaurant to eat pho'. My pho had beef flank, tendon, and stripe in it (I think) and I paid a grand total of $10.00 (including tax) for my meal since I didn't order anything else. To be honest, it wasn't the best pho, but I thought it was worth it. I've heard that better pho can be found on University Ave (the Saint Paul tiny equivalent of Buford Hwy in Atlanta- but sketchier), but I wasn't going to take public transit or Uber there at night (it's ridiculously dark by 5pm). It felt nice to do something by myself despite all the looks I got for eating by myself (as if it's that strange :P ). Aside from that, the past few weeks has flown by and I will be returning to Atlanta for Winter Break myself in less than a month. Two more weeks of classes until finals! (Help!) In Bonner meetings, we have already begun talking about potential worksites for the next three years (I'm considering being a homework tutor at a local library- close proximity and flexible hours are enticing). Spring course registration is also around the corner. I always have awesome luck (that's sarcasm), and I ended up being assigned the last registration date. Hopefully, I will get into the classes that I want although that's actually not really a big problem here at Macalester; everyone usually gets into all the classes that they want. Crossing my fingers!
As far as Thanksgiving Break goes, I was originally going to the student Thanksgiving Dinner at the Summit House on campus (since the dining hall doesn't open on Thanksgiving night), but I was invited to dinner by my Spanish professor, so I will be joining him and his family for Thanksgiving. I will see if I can manage to take some photos then! Rachel I will be staying on campus during Thanksgiving, but I'm just waiting for some of the workload and chaos to die down (I had 2 exams past Friday). The break will give me much needed time for relaxation and just some time for myself. Aside from that, here are some recent photos: Spent the entire Saturday with the 11 other first-year Bonners plus Sedric and Ruth for our Bonner "retreat". For about 6 hours, we learned about the culture and history of New Orleans to prepare for our January trip. This photo was taken during our break for brunch! It is rare to find a Bonner photo with all 12 of us! This is the 2nd one ever! You can find me in a few different shots! :D I'm all the way on the left on the 2nd row for the first 2 videos. I'm on the left in the 1st row (I think?) somewhere in this video. There's a ton of people and groups in this song, so don't even bother trying to find me and just enjoy the song!
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about mecollege student. junior. international studies major. over-the-top foodie. archives
February 2018
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