December 2011
10 posts
Michael (Canada)
It’s Never Too Late To Follow Your Passion
Ignoring My Passions In The Name Of Practicality
I was always a nerd. I was always cracking jokes in class and getting in trouble for distracting the others. I was always one of the best writers in school. I always participated in speech arts.
But then I graduated and, of course, had to go to University. That’s the thing you do after high school,...
Desiree (U.S.A.)
“Hi, I’m Desiree!”
I’m a 22-year-old American Jew, straight out of college and with no concrete job prospects ahead of me, spending a year studying in Israel. In other words … I’m kind of a walking cliché.
I haven’t served in the Israeli army, nor will I pretend to completely understand the nuances of the history and politics of this country, and yet here I am getting a master’s degree in the...
Selina (U.S.A.)
Today I thought I lost my iPhone, and I didn’t go looking for it. I stood in the law school library and looked out the window as the bus carrying my dropped phone drove away. And then I went to a desk and started to read.
This could be interpreted as a depressing testament to the pedestal upon which studying has been placed, but I think it is an affirmation of the ability to snatch freedom in a...
Ashley (U.S.A.)
So, here’s the deal: my life is pretty awesome. I am pursuing my ever-evolving dream of being a comedy writer, which was preceded by dreams of being a journalist, and of being a pink flamingo. I love my job, my friends and where I am at in life right now. Basically, I appreciate everything and it makes me super happy. If I were religious, I would probably be an “everything happens for a reason”...
Tia (Canada)
And they do it with so much Adorable
From spending the day with kids to hanging out with my Korean teachers (some of whom have kids a few years younger than me) to partying into the night with other foreign teachers who are mostly in their 20s, I’ve learned this: we’re all pretty much the same. And we all want the same things: to be heard and to be loved.
I’ve learned that you can make a...
Karen (Colombia)
In Judaism there’s a famous saying by Rabbi Akiva: “Love your fellow like yourself.” It seems to be a simple line when you read it, but it comprises a deep complexity that if able to overcome, would lead us to a less conflictive world. This idea that exists in many religions and cultures throughout human history and is commonly associated with “the golden rule” (one should treat others as one...
Desiree (U.S.A.)
Every time I see a sunset, I remember a particular autumn afternoon in Berkeley.
I had just descended upon the stairs leading to my co-op, finishing the last leg of a running feat that inevitably included traversing the 45-degree slope leading to my house, and all I could think of was the comfort of the living room couch and the taste of a glass of water.
As I made it to the final step, I...
Zach (U.S.A.)
I find myself wordless on what it is I want to write, so in many ways this prose piece/short story serves as a personal narrative. I find that in prose you can trace a person’s thoughts, and there is nothing more personal than knowing how someone thinks in succession:
Cold has awakened me. It is winter, and the crisp air burns my lungs. Ironic, I thought, how frigid breath is personified by...
Patrick (Kenya)
‘Huu (pronounced who) mwaka!’ (This Year)
2011 has been quite a year of observations for me. I have had the privilege to meet, interact and work with different people, some of whom I intend to continue getting to know better, while others …
Here they are:
*Wazuri-The Good
People who are focused, go-getters and they know what they want in their lives; they know what they are working...
Alysha (U.S.A.)
I don’t usually do things like this. I don’t keep a journal or a blog, and all of the memories I think are worthwhile are captured by a camera. But, I like this idea—and the person responsible for it—so here goes. I’m going to write about how I came to be in Israel studying archaeology. It isn’t necessarily a sad story, nor a funny or happy one … It’s really just about how it happened and I guess...