I decided to title this post in Spanish because today's a big work day and one of the things I need to do this summer is read Introducción a la literatura Latinoamericana (in addition to several other books). As a book-lover, I don't think of reading as an assignment but rather as an opportunity, so I'm excited, but I also need to prep for other classes that are a bit more daunting (AP Bio, cough cough). But that's okay! It's summer, right? And we have good music:
Birdy: "Wings"
Vampire Weekend: "Hannah Hunt"
Jack Garratt: "Worry"
Something else that I've been thinking about a lot lately is purpose/all that stuff. I have a stack of cards on my desk from Doctors Without Borders, and I was reading the first-person anecdotes of some of the volunteers, which are so incredibly moving and inspiring (even when they're tragic). One of the anecdotes was about the Ebola epidemic, and I wanted to share it here. It got me thinking a lot about the meaning of love, etc., and how, in the end, all that really matters is that we showed love for those around us and were positive. The material stuff is just material stuff in the end, and it's memories and moments that count. I know all this has been said before, but it helps to hear it again, I think...especially at the beginning of the week :).
"Another time, a 15-year-old girl was inside the isolation ward for over a week, along with her seven-year-old sister and her mother, who was very unwell at first. But then they all started to get better When, finally, the girl's Ebola test came back negative, she had a shower in chlorine to disinfect herself, changed into new clothes, and was discharged. That was a wonderful moment--to see that and to know her mother and sister would soon be well enough to join her." -MSF Doctor Hannah Spencer
I'm working at a camp all week and am completely exhausted after yesterday, but fatigue didn't stop me from getting excited about the Strawberry Moon. The June full moon happened on the Summer Solstice this year (yesterday), and that hasn't happened since 1948, the year my grandmum was born. It's truly amazing to have gotten to see a rare astronomical event like that (even if through a fog of clouds) because, for all I know, I may not even be here the next time it happens. And "Strawberry Moon" is an adorable name for an astrological occurrence, isn't it? Native Americans used the moon cycles as a reference for farming, and the "Strawberry Moon" meant berries were ripe. #funfact
I'm sending love for everyone's day today!
I don't quite know how it is that I've managed to find it more difficult to post now that the academic year is over, but I think it has something to do with the fact that I've got summer work and am also now doing more organizing, etc. I also keep coming up with ideas for posts and then thinking I've posted them, LOL, even though I actually haven't (writer's imagination problems).
With all that said, I've been doing some more literary research lately, and I recently came across writing by Antoine de Saint-Exupery's wife Consuelo. She wrote "La Rose du petit prince," an autobiography about her life and her times with Antoine.
I know I've posted about Frida before, but I also recently saw the film Frida, and I was very moved by the scene in which she climbs to the top of the temple with Trotsky despite all their physical pain. A lot of people are in pain, but they don't show it.
Also...there's some very tragic news this morning, and I'm sending the Force for everyone who is struggling or suffering right now.
I once got so excited talking to historical archaeologists and special collections librarians during a field trip to a career expo that I didn't even realize that my school had moved to a different exhibit until I looked around and didn't recognize anyone. Needless to say, it was a bit scary, but hearing about historical gardens and Edgar Allan Poe's transcript made the momentary fear entirely worth it. If you're a bibliophile, too, I'm sure you understand where I'm coming from :).
I'm sharing this anecdote because this post is a more literature/history-focused one. I recently rediscovered my mum's collection of World War I poems and poets, and I fell totally in love with it (again). There is something so moving about reading a poem by someone and then reading their story, and it's particularly tragic to learn that they died shortly after said poem was written. Reading the beautiful words of Wilfred Owen, for instance, it was difficult to imagine he was killed only a week before the armistice was signed in 1918. Writing keeps people alive by preserving voices and thoughts and moments, and the fact that so many of the early 20th century's greatest writers had their lives cut short by the very subject they wrote about--war--is so incredibly horrible. Reading about the war also really helps to put into perspective all of the things going on in the present. While it is crucial to think about the good in the world, it's also necessary to recognize the bad, and there is a lot of struggle and suffering right now. I often wonder what poetry--be it written or merely felt (because, yes, you can just "feel" a poem)--will arise from all that is happening today.
Hi, everyone! The end of the academic year is approaching really quickly (as in next week is my last week quickly), and I can't believe it's almost here. Summers are very busy, too, but it's nice to get to spend more time at home with books and living room dance sessions.
Summer plans aside, though, today I wanted to talk a little bit about the victims of the EgyptAir crash. I know it happened almost a week ago, but I've been thinking about it a lot, and I can't shake how horrible it is. No one can really understand what the families of those on board Flight 804 are going through, and it's so unfair that they're having to suffer the unimaginable right now. I still feel traumatized by the other crashes that have happened over the recent years, and I know the families of those victims will never be able to recover from the horror of losing a loved one in such a tragic way with so many unanswered questions. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected <3.
