BEDA Prorgam

Hello people!

So it's been a few days since my last post and I am just itching to get back to it!

So excited because I started reading the Hunger Games book. So far... I have to dig deep within myself to put it down. It is such a well written book.

However, this post is clearly entitled "BEDA Program," so let me just get right down to it and start on that.

As you know if you have read my earlier posts, I am taking a year off from law school this coming fall. In wanting to do so, I applied for the North American Culture and Language Assistant program that is offered through the Ministry of Education in Spain. I wrote a long post about it... here.

Anywho, being completely absorbed with taking a year off, I had to come up with a back up plan... and here it is.

The Bilingual English Development & Assessment Program is essentially the same as the Auxilares de Conversaion. This program is sponsored and funded through the Catholic church, however, they place far fewer people. I found out about this program from a fellow blogger... Future Diplo. You can find her post about this program here. Her blog is pretty awesome too, so check it out!

I found out about this program at the end of February/beginning of March, but my "inner-laz" prevented me from applying until just recently. I liked this program because it seemed to be very organized and further language assistants get paid slightly more than they do through the Spanish Ministry of Education.

While this program is also first come, first serve, I really hope that I can get accepted into both. The ideal situation would of course be, having the ability to choose which program I would like to participate in. We will see!

Until later!

Auxilares de Conversacion

The Spanish government is trying to kill me... I've decided. However not by any of your normal means.. i.e. death by hanging, stabbing, shooting.... Instead they seek to do so by much more cruel and unusual means!!!

They are trying to kill me with *drumroll*.... ANTICIPATION!!!!

It's sickening I know! I applied to the Language Assistant program in January and am still waiting to find out where I will be placed this upcoming year. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this program, it was started by the Spanish Ministry of Education to increase the knowledge and awareness of Spanish students about the English language and various English-speaking cultures.

The teaching assistants are from The U.S. and Canada. Pretty much, from what I have gathered from my research, TA's are posted in positions throughout Spain. While there, they assist the Spanish English teachers (that sounds funny...lol... "Spanish English") with lesson plans, activities, and proffer general information and knowledge about the Canadian and American cultures. A stipend of $700 euros is given to assist with living expenses. (Find out more information of the Ministry's website: North American Language and Culture Assistants).

Anywho, I am just dying to find out my placement. My region selections were:
1. Madrid
2. Catalunya
3. Pais Vasco

Apparently these were some of the more popular choices, however Madrid has the most placements, so it is likely that I will end up there. SOOOO... Let me tell y'all that I am so flippin excited to start this one year break form law school! I feel like this will be an awesome experience and opportunity. Let me also tell y'all that I am also already scoping out different places to live...more on that later! However, let me further tell y'all that I am SOOOO over waiting to find out! This is killing me... slowly... softly... and ever so discretely!

Hurry up SPAIN!!! I'm ready to go!

HUNGER GAMES!!!

NOTE: Sorry for the length. I was excited!

                                                                                source

O-M-FREAKIN-G!!!!!!

People! I just saw Hunger Games. And let me just say.... AMAZING!!!!

So I'm sure y'all are like..."C'mon son! It's probably not even that good!"

Well let me assure you.. It is. Let me take you on a brief journey of my experience with this Hunger Games phenomenon.

About two months ago, the law school was abuzz with people going on and on and on about this Hunger Games "thing." Now I am not usually easily pulled into "hype," so I just keep going about my daily business ignoring the Hunger Games chatter. Plus, my brief was just beginning and so I was focusing "hard" on getting that together. (For more information on the required 1L law school brief.)

A few weeks later... we were coming up on the due date of our brief and my friend J (also known as Juicy) had the NERVE to be reading a book... for pleasure... in the library... at the very first table!!! And what was it you might ask?! None other than Hunger Games!!!! The nerve of her to be reading a book for pleasure in the library in front of all of our faces DAYS before the brief was due.

(Sidenote: For those of you wondering why this is such a big deal... This brief is usual 40-55% of your total grade for the required 1L Legal Research & Writing class. People stress over the particulars of this assignment and most usually spend right up until the minute it is due working on perfecting it. No one has time to really do anything other than work on the brief. So much so that come brief due date... people are skipping entire classes and days of school just to work on. Soooo.... it's pretty much a big deal.)

Anywho... let's just say J's little stunt had people glaring at her in the library as they walked by. And Twitter and Facebook were aflutter with comments about her nerve!!!

Fast forward to earlier this week. Yet another Hunger Games discussion was going on and people were talking about how they were going to be at the midnight screening and all of this hoopla. I again was just waiting for this conversation to end. But today around 9pm, J texts me to see if I wanted to go see Hunger Games. Having nothing else to do on a Friday night... I obliged. Mind you... the entire time I was giving her a hard time and saying that "For all of this hype, this BETTER be the BEST movie I have ever seen in my life."

I got to the theater... bought a ticket and had to wait in these ridiculously long lines AFTER purchasing the tickets just to get a seat. So I continued to say how good this movie better be.

PEOPLE!!! By the time I left the theater... I was already asking her to borrow her Hunger Games book. They made a believer out of me! The movie was freaking amazing. When the characters were happy, I was happy. When they were scared, I was scared. Shoot, I was nervous the entire movie like I was apart of the Hunger Games!!!

I know I'm getting long, so I will end this by saying... go see Hunger Games! You won't be disappointed!

Until later!!!!

Law School

In case you guys haven't figured it out... I really really REALLY dislike law school. It sucks the life out of you. It stresses you out beyond measure. And when it seems like it has taken EVERYTHING from you and you feel as though it can take no more.... It swoops from behind and steals the reserve of the little bit of something you had left.

I know y'all are probably thinking... "Well shoot, if you hate it so much why not just quit?!"

Well guys.. it's not that easy. Finding the ability within yourself to be completely comfortable with walking away from something you worked so hard at achieving... is immensely difficult. I worked SOOO hard to get to law school. I have never quit anything before... and I don't know if I have the strength to do that right now.

So until then, I will continue to rant about how much law school irks me, and I will hope that it will eventually get better. *kanye shrug*

However... there are two good things... is one good thing about law school. That is the people. My law school has such a relaxed atmosphere. People don't work hard to cut you down, even though we are all competing for the same grade. People instead work to uplift you.

Exhibit A:

One of my fellow classmates posted this on the wall of one of the study rooms. Law school is tough and depressing... but things like this make it that much more bearable. 

Exhibit B:

One of my fellow 1Ls gave me some wonderful advice that I am going to share with you guys... I told him that I was having a hard time adjusting and how I was not sure if this law school thing was for me. So here is what he told me:

"Just because you worked hard to get in the door... doesn't mean you have to stay in the room."

And I think with that... I'll end this post until later!

Silent Protest in rememberance of Trayvon Martin

So I know I just posted a long rant about this situation, so I won't get going again... HOWEVER, I did want to share with y'all that I participated in a silent protest today in solidarity with the Trayvon Martin cause. I would say the turn out was pretty good. I am always glad to be apart of a group of people banding together for something they believe in! *insert tear*

Here are some photos/video of the event.

#DoILookSuspicious #JusticeForTrayvon

Until later .... "Shout me a holla dawgs!"

Trayvon Martin

In Rememberance....

Today, all across the country people are holding rallies and dressing in all black as a sign of protest for the Trayvon Martin case. For those who are unaware of this case you can find out more information here.

The Story of Trayvon Martin

While I am an African American woman, and I do believe that an injustice most certainly occurred here... I hesitate with completely making this a racial issue. While it may seem easy because a white man shot and killed a unarmed black boy... Could this have happened to anyone? I believe so. The boy could have been Asian, Hispanic, Indian, anything. He could have even been white. But we will never know how the story would have played out had Trayvon been anything but what he was... Black.

While I realize a large aspect of this situation is the fact that this young man was unarmed and minding his own business. Further that Mr. Zimmerman has not been arrested, and has claimed, although he was the aggressor, that he shot in self-defense. 911 calls were released where Trayvon was yelling, "Help! Help! Help!" Not necessarily the actions of someone who was attacking another. However, while Mr. Zimmerman should at the very least be put in jail... the news really seems to have their focus on the fact that a white man shot a black boy.

History has shown us that minority treatment in these situations have been unequal to those of our white counterparts... I think I am just over constantly bringing race into everything. Now before I get the slew of backlash that is certain to come... I am not naive! I, myself, have been a victim of discrimination, racial stereotypes, taunting... all the things I am sure you may have seen on tv that may sometimes occur in the deep south. So therefore, I am not discounting the fact that racism occurs still today, and that it is important to be conscious of that fact.

However, I think I am just more hopeful than anything that sooner than later we can stop having this conversation. I just hope that if a person shoots another individual, the first thing that is talked about regarding the situation is not their race. I want it to be enough that one human being harmed another and that that harm in itself is enough to stir the senses and get people excited about justice.

Until then... we will continue to be up in arms at the shooting of a young black boy by a white man. But maybe... one day we will be just as passionate about the shooting of an unarmed individual by another.

Summer to Come - DR BABY!!!

YES! That is correct! I will be in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic this coming summer. I will be interning with the House of Representatives, and you have no idea how EX-FREAKIN-CITED I am. Myself and 2 other ladies from my law school will be going, and from what we have learned... This is going to be an awesome experience.

My friend J (love to refer to her as Juicy!) found this awesome program called Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD). They offer students to ability to intern, research, and study in the Dominican Republic. This is a Foundation that was started by the current President of the DR, Dr. Leonel Fernandez. As per the website, GFDD promotes a better understanding and appreciation of the Dominican culture, values and heritage, as its richness and diversity, in the Dominican Republic, US and worldwide.

That is all fine and good, because I believe the educational and work experience of this trip is going to be invaluable... HOWEVER, I am going to the Dominican Republic!!!

Well I leave June 2nd and come back August 12th.... Counting down! 

If anyone has any suggestions on places to go and things to do while there... please feel free to make your suggestions!

DIY Projects

So this Spring Break I was in desperate need of a stress reliever... SOOO I taught myself how to sew on my mother's sewing machine and I went to town! I made so many things, some of which are not among the pictures I have posted. I think this is pretty good for my first time!!!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?!

Hand Stitched American-Flag Shorts

Bleached Denim Top

Black clutch (vinyl - gave the "leather" look)

Two-textured Clutch

Cropped African Print top & Headscarf

Fringe Skirt

Lace Detail Shorts

Fishnet Fringe Cropped Top

Mocassin

Not so basic tee

Bleached tribal patterned shorts

Extreme length bandeau

Collard Greens & Sweet Potatoes

After scouring the internet, and stalking the lives of many a blogger, I decided to start my own. I had long thought about it, but for some reason I was afraid to. I have no idea and it really seems quite silly in retrospect, but hey... every now and then, I'm a little bit silly.

While sitting in a make-up law school class, enjoying my lunch of collard greens and sweet potatoes, I finally made the decision! I started my blog... and here it is! I hope you all enjoy.