How Much Are You Worth?

Bill Gates is worth $76 billion. Steve Jobs was worth $2.1 billion. President Obama's base salary is $400,000 a year, which makes him worth over $7 million. Christy Walton, the "heiress" of Wal-Mart is worth $35.4 billion. These people are ranked in things like Forbes Magazine and are looked up to in society. Why? Because they're the people with the money. Money is the one thing that rules our society, but I believe that there are so many more aspects to how much a person is worth. 

There are hundreds of thousands of missionaries that go global to help people in need. There are organizations like Habitat for Humanity, the Peace Corp, or AmeriCorp that are solely based on changing people's lives and making the world a better place. I personally know of people, some of my amazing friends, who have such big hearts. They are willing to go to foreign countries to serve people instead of themselves. My friend Morgan has dedicated her summers over the last few years to go to Haiti and serve God and His people. My friend Liz goes to Mexico to do the same thing. They give up comfort to go to places that need help and provide people with service and their love, which I think is absolutely amazing. To me, that says a lot more than how much money a person has.

The idea of self-worth is something I think about a lot. I often connect it with my image. If I do things a certain way then maybe people will value me more. I think in my faith I get caught up in trying to be pleasing rather than trying to actually have a relationship with God. I've come to the conclusion that my life is worth something (duh), just as is everyone else's. The question is, what can I do to make a difference? Since I know that I'm worth something, how can I help other people realize the same thing? 

I'm a selfish person. I mean, everyone is selfish at times, but I really am selfish. I write about these terrible problems in my blogs of things that happen in third world countries. I give my view on how they can be fixed. But I'm not really doing anything to help the situations. It's because I constantly think about myself. My views of my own image overrule my willingness to help people. I realized that today in a situation where I wasn't willing to put someone's happiness in front of my own. My quest this summer is to get over myself. I will be more compassionate and less selfish. I have three big opportunities to do that within the next couple of months. Between camp, CIY, and a mission trip I will be surrounded by plenty of people that I can practice on. 

Self- worth is not about how much money you have or how many cool things you own. It's about your willingness to put other peoples' needs in front of your own. It's about showing people that they are worth something, which in turn affects how much you are worth to a person. It's like a never-ending cycle of awesomeness.

A World Without Water

Could you even imagine a world without water? It's one of the most important elements of life. We have the luxury of using it to cook, to clean, and to drink. In America there is an abundance of clean drinking water. You can go to essentially any faucet and be able to safely drink out of it. Around the world, there are countries who aren't anywhere close to being that lucky.

There are about 884 million people around the world who don't have access to clean water. We can go to the store and buy as many bottle of water that we want, while people in third world countries who aren't able to find a sustainable water source. The quantity and the quality of water are equally important. Water is one of the most efficient ways to carry illness and disease. Even if people have abundant amounts of dirty water, they still can't drink it due to the risk of dying anyway. 

Places like sub-Saharan Africa, with an extremely dry climate, suffer from lack of water. Women and children are usually the ones sent to walk miles and miles to find a small river or pond and carry back water for their families. They do this every day. Walking to and from a water source, which on average totals to 3.5 miles per day to get water. This water is, most of the time, filled with water-borne diseases that are being carried back into the homes of these people. It is estimated that 3.5 million people die from water-related illnesses each year. 

More than one half of all primary schools in developing countries lack access to clean water. Water not only affects health, but it affects education and the economy too. The main reason for the water crisis is due to treating water as a commodity. It has led to the privatization and control of the water supply by corporations. They sell water at outrageous prices that poor people can't afford, and they find themselves being shut out as prices of water increase. A study of water price in 2006 shows that water in Barranquilla, Columbia is almost six US dollars per cubic meter. In New York, on the same scale, water costs less than a dollar.

If privatization and commoditization of water was brought down to a minimum and wells with clean water were put up in villages, then maybe the global water crisis would decrease. It's not an unobtainable goal, but it's difficult to do that. Organizations have been working in villages to set up supplies of clean water for people to have access to. It's not like it isn't happening, people are out there trying to help. But at the rate that the world is growing, we can't seem to be helping fast enough. In the next 20 years it is estimated that the amount of people without access to clean, safe water will increase by two-thirds. So the question is, what can we do to help and how long will it be before it's too late?

We're Still Studying...

I lied, I'm not actually studying. I've been studying for a total of *drumroll please* eleven and a half hours in the last two days. I literally went home yesterday after my AP Gov exam and studied for seven hours. SEVEN HOURS. Guess what I was studying? Yep, you guessed it, AP Gov! I currently have a D in that class. I feel quite stupid.
So today I thought I would rant about the fact that I'm still awake at 10:32 pm, waiting for my flash-drive to clear so I can put my photography assignment on it. Yes, I still haven't finished my school work. And yes, before you judge me, let me just tell you that I like to procrastinate. Get over it. I still have two finals to finish tomorrow. I'm quite frazzled at the moment. I kind of actually hate AP classes. Like, a lot. I mean, I've never been in college before, but I think they're supposed to be equivalent of college classes. But in all reality, how can anyone expect anyone to take three AP classes and one college class on top of regular classes and not be frazzled? And that's not even bad compared to some people in my school. Maybe I just don't handle stress very well...
I've been switching between studying and crying my eyes out for the last couple of hours, but I think it's safe to say that I'm 100% ready to be done with school. Forever. Like, I don't want to learn anything new for as long as I live. I've accepted the fact that I'm an average person. Average height, average personality, average IQ. You know, the works. So, based on that, I'm definitely doing just average in school. It's not that I'm not trying, I think I just don't have any more brain capacity to open up to new information.
Speaking of opening up. If you're going to be my friend, I expect you to trust me. Unless I give you a reason to not trust me, which I hopefully don't, then you have to open up to me at some point. I really think that it helps both parties in the long run. Like, honestly, if you expect me to be there for you then you have to let me know what I'm supposed to be being there for you for. Ha. That sentence made no sense. But for real, don't expect me to constantly elaborate on my issues when you won't even tell me what's bothering you. This is a two way thing. I was told by a wise soul once that I should write about my feelings because it lets people know what I'm thinking. So hopefully that wise soul is reading this, because that's exactly what I'm doing.
It's currently 10:49 and my flash-drive still hasn't finished. My eyes are so dry, I'm tempted to dunk my head in a bucket of water. I haven't eaten since...I don't remember when. Tomorrow is my last day of school and I really just want to stay in my bed for the rest of my life.
At least I wasn't kept awake by my chanting grandmother. But that's another story for another day. Tomorrow needs to be over so I can go into hibernation. Forever.
Peace.

Conquering the World...Well Maybe Just High School (For Now)

This is my last week in the Hell we call high school. Thank goodness that these four dreaded years are coming to a close. 

Alright, I'll admit it, it wasn't that bad. I really do feel that most of the classes I've taken have benefited me in some way. Like, for example, my freshman classes weren't too bad. I had Mrs. Bartlett for my English teacher and she made me first realize how much I love learning about English and how much I love to write. Mr. Ficke was my sophomore English teacher and I was extremely wary to be in his class. I had heard some pretty scary things about him. But he turned out to be one of the most beneficial teachers I've had so far. His class really pushed me to think outside of the box and to not rely on my natural love of English to let me glide through the year. I actually had to put effort and thought into his assignments (his class was the first time I had ever gotten a B on my grade report). Mr. Thies is to thank for giving me my first C on my transcript. He was one tough teacher, but it's the hard ones that are always the best.

As an artist I have felt compelled to try and take as many art classes as possible. Throughout my four years I've had the privilege of having Mrs. Copeland as my drawing and painting teacher. She was an art major at Fort Hays (go Tigers!) and was definitely inspirational to me. I loved the fact that she tried to focus as much on art history as she did the elements and principles of design. I mean, anyone can do art, but if you don't understand the reason why someone does art then what is the point? She is one of those teachers who is intent on making sure you are ready for college. With her help, my AP Studio Art class was the most strenuous, but rewarding, class that I've ever taken. Mr. Allman is also on my list of most memorable teachers. There is really no way of describing him, so hopefully you have the pleasure of running into him (Hopefully not while you're both driving. Then you probably won't like him and he definitely won't like you). He is an ever-spouting fountain of knowledge when it comes to photography and has taught me so much.

I feel like I should dedicate an entire paragraph to Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis is currently my AP Government teacher and he is the coolest person I've ever met. From the first day that I tentatively walked into his class he has been nothing but caring to every one of his students. He makes an effort every day to individually ask each person in the class how they are doing. He also makes time in the class period to have personal conversations with everyone. At the same time, he is just a really good teacher. He knows what he's talking about and he relays it in an intelligent, but easy to understand, manner. Even though I suck at history and government, being in his class has made everything worthwhile. 

Most of my high school days have been spent pushing through those annoying couples making out in the hallways, or complaining about how much homework I have to do (thanks to Tyler, Sharon, and my Studio Art friends for listening to me vent on the daily). Much of my free time has been spent sitting on my bed, studying something or other. My stress levels have definitely been tested and at times I just wanted to lay on the floor and cry. I'm not an exemplary student and I don't quite have a 4.0 GPA, but I'm pretty dang proud that I can say that I've tried my best. 

I don't think I'll miss much of high school. I won't miss the boring classes, or the library staff, or the snappy supervisors, or incompetent people, or lazy teachers. But there are definitely a few aspects of the last four years that have helped me get to where I'm headed in life.
So yeah, this next week is going to suck with finishing finals. But then I'm going to graduate and be done with high school forever.
It's going to be awesome.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

One of my absolute favorite writers ever is Maya Angelou. She is so inspirational to me. I’m really interested in the Civil Rights Movement and I love learning more about countries and places that are struggling with things like slavery. Whether it be poverty or physical slavery, I like to find ways to help people who are less fortunate than myself. I really like her poem “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”. I’m not going to post the whole poem, because it’s like six stanzas long. But basically she is talking about the difference between a free bird and a caged bird, relating it to slavery. (I forgot to mention that she is an African American author, so she writes a lot about segregation and slavery).So the first stanza talks about the qualities of a free bird. She writes “The free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wings in the orange sun rays and dares to claim the sky.” There is so much power in the way she writes. I think we could probably make the connection of this stanza to a majority of the United States. We are all seeking the American dream. We have the ability to achieve basically anything that we want if we work for it.

When Angelou writes about the caged bird she says, The caged bird sings with fearful trill of the things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom." This line is so powerful to me because even though this bird is restrained behind bars, or whatever is holding it back, it still has the power to sing.

So here's a random segway into my experiences in Haiti. I feel like the people in Haiti are almost like this caged bird. When the earthquake struck Haiti, many of its people lost everything. Including their freedom. Their government was crumbling, just like the buildings caught in the quake. People were thrown into poverty. Poverty in Haiti, just like basically anywhere else, is a never ending cycle. Poverty is slavery. People do what they can to get the means necessary to feed their families, but usually it isn't enough.

When I first flew into the airport in Port au Prince, it looked like any other normal sized airport. But when we stepped outside we were bombarded by people asking if they could help us with our luggage (not airport attendants). We were told not to let anyone touch our stuff because it would probably get stolen. As we drove from the larger airport to the small airport that we would fly out of to get to the place we were going to stay, there were people wandering the streets trying to sell things out of carts to try to make some money. There were little boys weaving in between cars offering to wash their windows for a small fee while they were stopped in the road. As we neared the smaller airport, there were less structured buildings and more shacks with tin roofs. I had heard stories of people going through the city while it rained and all you could hear was the thunderous roar of the rain on the thousands and thousands of tin roofs. And this was in the big city, I couldn't even imagine what smaller villages would look like.

When we got to Mole, the little town where the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission was set up, we were introduced to more of the village life. When compared to Port au Prince, Mole was much less overwhelming. From Mole, we took a two hour truck ride (the most bumpy ride I've ever been on in my life) to a place called Mare Rouge which is where we stayed for the rest of the week. The goal of the mission trip was to interact with people from a different place and culture, while teaching them about God. I tried to be with the kids as much as I could, because it was easier for me to look like a fool in front of them (not knowing their language) than it was in front of the adults. The language barrier with the kids wasn't difficult, as long as you smiled and laughed and hugged them they were completely content. We taught VBS in the mornings at the local church (which was actually just a tiny one-roomed building), and did activities with the kids around the village like soccer and kickball.

I can't even begin to imagine the hardships that these people have to face. The kids that we interacted with came to play in just about the same clothes every day. They were dirty, and most definitely under-fed. They spent their days helping with chores and watching younger siblings. The people of the village would all line up at the same time every afternoon and wait their turn to draw water from the well. But no matter what these people were put through, they were some of the happiest people I've ever seen. When I think of happiness I usually think of money, because in reality money is the one thing that matters in this country anymore. The people in Haiti didn't have much money, but they were still so happy. The kids that I met (there was Winston, Linda, Tsi Tsi, Jameson, and so many more) had the most adorable laughs. They called me Allie and followed me around and would come running whenever I came out of the yard of the place we were staying. They touched my heart in so many ways and they're inspirational to me to be happy and keep looking up, even when things get bad.

So I guess to tie in my random beginning, the second to last stanza of Angelou's poem goes like this, "But a caged bird sings on the grave of dreams his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing." Basically, there are people in this world who have next to nothing. I don't know anything about having nothing, because I have everything that I could ever need in my life, but there are people who do know what it's like to suffer. The people I encountered in Haiti are an excellent example of people who have nothing but are still willing to make the most of their lives and sing of freedom. They lift up the things that are important, cherish the things that they are given, and make the most out of what they have. May they be a lesson to us all.

What's Next: Part Deux

I've already explained that tonight is my last dance recital ever. I'm so extremely sad about it. Like I said, it's been the best experience ever. It has taught me how to show my emotions through movement. I know that sounds dumb and cliche, but it's actually a thing. If I go to dance grumpy or sad, I always leave feeling loads better. Dance is a form of expression. Okay, I'm going to stop writing about that because I'm going to start crying again.

So the question for me is what's next? I'm going to have so much free time on my hands. Maybe I should take up knitting (already tried that and hated it), or maybe I'll learn another language (I do want to travel the world some day). I have my painting, which I will definitely be busy with over the summer. My goal is to start selling some of my work because I need money. Plus I just like when people get to enjoy my paintings instead of having them sit on my art table in my basement under a layer of dust.
I also need to start playing the piano more. I'm finally starting to appreciate classical music more. I used to hate it and think it was so boring, but now I have a new-found respect for it. There are so many variations to classical music. Every key sounds like a different mood and it can be played either fast or slow. Personally, I like playing Preludes. Bach is my favorite.

Since I won't be dancing almost every day of the week, I should probably find some other means of exercise. I think I'll just force Serena to drag me to the gym. I really, really despise running. My knees are already awful, it just sucks to run. Plus, my stamina is awful. You would think that after a few years of intense cardio I would have pretty good stamina. It's probably just because I like food a little too much (and not healthy food either).

After the summer is over I will be moving to Hays to attend Fort Hays State University and become a Tiger. If I had a choice at what big cat I wanted to be I would be a lion, but I guess tigers will have to do. I plan to major in studio art with Zoey. She's going to be my super awesome roommate. I'm excited, but kind of nervous at the same time. I know a few people who are already attending FHSU and I know a few of my classmates who are going to be going in the fall, but I'm not close with many of them. I'm also not very good at making friends. I'm really awkward and never know how to start conversations. I'll probably need to find some way to get involved in something so I'm not just sitting in my dorm all day, every day. The thing I'm most excited about is being able to learn more about art. I really hope the professors there are good. Mrs. Copeland has been the best teacher for the last four years. She's taught me so much. People ask me if I'm just talented, or if I actually had to work to be good (not saying I'm some prodigy or something). I scoff and say, "duh, it takes soooooo much work". I don't think I would be half as good as I am not if I didn't have good teachers along the way. So when I go to Fort Hays I really hope they are as good as I'm expecting them to be (or better). Because I want to actually learn more, not just sit in a room and do the same things that I've been doing for the last however many years.

When I went to visit Fort Hays I had the greatest experience ever. When we first pulled up to the campus, I saw a sign that said, "Welcome to FHSU, Allison!". Like, they put my name up on a sign just for visiting. Then I got to take a tour of the campus, which is really nice. It is spread out enough that I feel cramped, but it also isn't ginormous. When I went to talk to one of the guys in the art department building (his name is Joel and he is a ginger with an awesome beard), he introduced himself and then immediately asked what I wanted to do as a career. I'm the type of person that likes to plan out every aspect of my life, so of course I already had an answer (I've known for a while what I want to do). So I told him about how I plan to work in art galleries until I have enough experience to open my own. Then what Joel said next is why I chose to go to Fort Hays. When I went to K-State, the lady sat me down in a dingy room and went through all of the classes that I could take, relevant to what I wanted to do in the future or not. It was all so confusing and she wasn't even that nice. But Joel told me, "Allison, here at Fort Hays, we want to teach you how to take your talents and turn them into a career", and I just knew that this was the place for me. I had been so worried that I wasn't good enough to do anything. I don't know anything about making connections with people. I actually don't even know much about running a gallery (note to self: visit the Strecker-Nelson gallery). My hope is that at FHSU I can learn all of those things.

So, as they say, when one door closes another one opens and I'm excited for what the future holds!

The Link Between Poverty and Education in the US

According to the Program for International Student Assessment, Finland is ranked near to the top. A lot of cities in China, such as Hong Kong and Shanghai, are ranked in the number one and number two spots almost every time. Finland does not have as high of intelligence scores as China does, but it still has one of the highest-performing education systems in the world. The United States is in the middle, just like we have been for quite some time. The problem with our education system is not in the wealthy areas of the country. Those families have the money and means to give their children the best education possible. The problem with our education system lies in the fact that there are so many families with so low of income that they are below the poverty line.

According to the 2011 United States Census Bureau, the poverty line in America for a family of four (two children and two adults) is less than $23,021. A family of this size is estimated to have a basic-needs budget of just over $31,000 in order to stay out of poverty.

Poverty is the most relevant factor in determining the outcome of a person’s educational journey. The poverty rate in the United States is about five times as high as Finland’s. Children in poverty have a higher number of missed school days because they are most likely forced to work or care for family members. Students from 16 to 24 years of age who live on low income are seven times more likely to drop out of school than those from families with higher incomes. A new study on education and poverty was reported in Education Week in October and the Southern Education Foundation shows that nearly half of all U.S. public school students live in poverty.

We usually think, as students in Manhattan High School, that our education is meaningless. Most of our parents make an income high enough to send us to school and to get an education in order to send us on to bigger and better things. Even at MHS there are a surprisingly large number of students whose parents can’t afford to send them to school on their own money. They have to have reduced lunches, or get scholarship money in order to actually attend school.

If we, as Americans, want to improve our education system we first have to figure out how to fight poverty. About fifty years ago was the mark when Lyndon B. Johnson started the $20 trillion “war on poverty”. Today, it is painfully clear that the war has not been won. Since President Clinton, poverty has increased in every state in the country. I can honestly say that I don’t know much about politics because I’m sure that there are many factors on how the theory to end poverty is irrational, but it’s safe to say that it is affecting more than just people’s lifestyles. It’s now starting to affect our education. According to PISA, the education level in the United States is decreasing. We’re moving more down the list every year. The biggest factor of getting an education to lead a sustainable life is the poverty level. So poverty, not race, ethnicity, national origin or where you attend school, is the best predictor of college attendance and completion. Which in turn shows the outcome of a person’s life and the life of their children. It’s a never-ending circle that we need to be working on breaking for the future of our country.