Last Meeting

Sadly today was my last meeting with Rayan and Hanah. They had a short break between their tests this morning and an end of the year celebration with other international students, so we decided to meet for one final time at Union Grounds.

Rayan and I discussed Saudi Arabia and its neighboring countries, because I asked him about popular vacation spots for him and his family. He listed many countries that were an easy trip because of their short distance from their hometown of Jeddah, including Lebanon, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Egypt. He has vacationed to all of these places, and one of his favorites was Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. He compared it to New York City with its vibrant night life, and said it was a ton of fun! He also told me that the 2020 World Cup is going to be held in Qatar, which is an easy drive across a bridge from Saudi Arabia. Rayan said that he will be there for sure!  

Rayan explained that 7 countries in the Middle East have the same kind of system that the 20 or so countries in Europe have, where you don't have to have a passport to travel between the countries included in this group. They include: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen. This makes it easy for him and his family to travel. 

Hanah arrived late, and when she got there we began to talk about the major differences between their home in Saudi Arabia to my home here. One of the things they mentioned was the dress. Back home, it is customary for the men to wear white robes and for the women to wear sashes; however, the clothes here are much more casual. 

They also said there's a major difference involving meals. In Saudi Arabia, they don't usually eat lunch until after they get off of work at 5. This is usually an extensive, spread-out meal that includes salad, a main course, then dessert. They eat dinner usually around 9 or so, and some families eat a smaller dinner but others have a large meal for that as well. This seemed to fit what they told me about the night life in Saudi Arabia...it starts at 6 and lasts until 3 AM! Hanah said that basically they don't sleep a lot there! 

It's crazy to think about how much they have taught me about their culture that I never would've known about before. It was a blessing to be able to speak to them and learn so much from them! I think this is something all TCU students should get involved in.

Meeting #6

Today my meeting with Rayan and Hanah was short, but I still learned a lot! The conversation started off very casual and they told me that they are excited for the new hot weather but unfortunately they still have school throughout the summer.

I asked them if they had ever heard of Juha, and they laughed and said of course they had! They were surprised that we had read the book of many tales of Juha in our Lit and Civ class. Rayan told me that his favorite story was one that demonstrated Juha's wit and cleverness that involved a restaurant owner, a merchant, and money for a chicken that the merchant ordered and vowed to pay for when he returned from his journey. When the merchant showed up, the restaurant owner told him that he owed him 200 dirhams (an absurd amount). The man thought this was ridiculous and took the case to court. It took Juha's wit for the judge to rule in favor of the merchant. They were even more surprised when I told them that I recognized this story from our class readings.

When I inquired on the importance of those stories in their culture, Rayan told me that they may be short, but they always teach you a lesson. They said that usually the stories get told to children even though some of the tales are more directed towards adults. Their culture has many synonymous characters...such as Aladdin and Ali Ababwa, and there are animated TV shows for kids to watch depicting these characters and their tales. 

I thought it was neat to see Juha's significance in the lives and culture of people that I knew personally. I loved that I made a connection to my readings in Lit and Civ to real life!! 

Final Reading Reflection-Mark Twain

I throughly enjoyed reading The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain. My only exposure to Mark Twain was during my junior year of high school in my English class when we read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and to be honest I didn't think it was very enjoyable. However, I feel like I would appreciate the novel more now, and I would really enjoy to read more of Mark Twain's works. Based on these quotes compiled by Alex Ayres, Mark Twain was quite a character. 

When I began reading this book I was expecting all of the quotes to be laugh out loud funny, so it surprised me how serious and wise Mark Twain was regarding many issues. The book was filled with many funny quotes too, and I did crack up a couple of times at his quick wit. In his Compliments section (pg 45), I loved the section that said...
     "There is nothing you can say in answer to a compliment," said a blushing Mark Twain 
     after a complimentary introduction to a crowd in Jamestown, Virginia. "I have been 
     complimented myself a great many times, and they always embarrass me-I always feel
     they have not said enough."
The cognitive shift, dare I say it, made me chuckle because personally I was expecting Mark Twain to respond with "they always embarrass me-I always feel they have said too much." However Twain throws his complementer and the crowd for a loop when he responds in such a manner, and I'm sure they responded with laughter. 

I also laughed during the Bicycling section of the book (pg 24-25) at Mark Twain's claim that "he invented all the new bicycle profanity that has since come into general use." Even though he was 49 years old, he still pushed himself to learn new things (in this case, how to ride a bike), even though his instructor "regarded him as a hopeless case." In his essay "Taming the Bicycle," Mark Twain said, "Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live." Picturing a middle-aged Twain falling off of his bicycle humored me.

In particular, the Bravery, Cheer, Children, Heart, and Joy sections made me appreciate Mark Twain for his wisdom. He had many great things to say about these particular topics. 

Being a quote person, this has been one of my favorite reading assignments this semester, and I definitely think that future students should be exposed to Mark Twain's wit and wisdom!

The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain Quote

GROWTH-"What is the most rigorous law of our being? Growth. No smallest atom of our moral, mental, or physical structure can stand still a year. It grows-it must grow; nothing can prevent it." (pg 92)

Wow! Reading this quote caused me to take a step back and really think about what my life was like a year ago. Everything was so different! I was a freshman questioning my college choice, making friends in Milton Daniel, forming my own opinions on various issues, trying not to gain the freshman 15, and attempting to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.

Now I feel like I'm at a place where I'm really meant to be. I love my school and have made some of the best friends that I couldn't for a second imagine my life without. My opinions have been shaped and molded by all the new people I have met, books I have read, and once foreign concepts that I have now been exposed to. 

Sometimes change can be a foreign, scary concept, but that is how we are able to really become the best individual we can be. All things, good or bad, will shape us into the person we are intended to be! 

I think that this quote from Mark Twain's "Consistency" speech was used to encourage people to grow as individuals and as a society. It really made quite an impression on me and easily earned its place as my favorite quote of Mark Twain!

Meeting #5

Even though I hadn't met with Rayan and Hanah in what seemed like forever, the conversation flowed and I learned even more about their native country of Saudi Arabia.

After I told Rayan and Hanah about LEAPS at TCU, we began to discuss the homeless population in Fort Worth and in their city back home.

In Saudi Arabia, or in their city at least, "soup kitchens" do not exist. The homeless can acquire food in 3 different ways. They can go to restaurants and tell the owner that they do not have enough money to buy food, and the owner will give it to them for free. Also at local markets, there are signs offering free food that people can walk up and eat. Another way of acquiring food is through direct donations of others in the city.

Rayan and Hanah send money to Hanah's mother every month, and she uses that money to purchase food and that goes directly to families in need. However there is not one general place that people go to get served food.

I asked Rayan and Hanah if there was a problem with lying and saying that you had no money for food when actually you didn't want to spend money. They said in general no, if you're going to ask for food then you really need food. Those without money won't lie and claim that they don't have any just to get some extra change. Also, the restaurants and supermarkets have cameras, so they can see if people continue to come back. Hanah told me about some children that sit outside of the restaurants asking for food, and once they are given some they scarf it right down. They are kids that really don't have another source of nourishment.

Rayan said it is common for people to walk up behind you in line at a supermarket or restaurant and ask for you to pay for them. He said he always does, and then he brushed it off like it was something that was expected of him. I think this is truly the social norm in the city. There is no questioning of whether the hungry and homeless will be helped or not. An effort is always made by other people of the city. 

They told me that the wealthy people in their city build giant apartment complexes for the homeless in the city. They said an individual building could probably hold between 300-400 people. This is because the families normally share rooms and multiple people live in a single space. 

I learned a lot in our meeting, and it's hard to believe that we only have 2 more meetings before summer break!

Only Joking 61-100

I really enjoyed reading this passage from the book Only Joking. Although it was similar in content to Morreall's Comic Relief, it was much more successful, engaging, and funny in its analyzation of humor.

I found many concepts in the passage quite interesting, and the assigned section for today dealt with various theories of humor. When discussing the incongruity theory, I loved how the author said, "Laughter is essentially a wobble of uncertainty" (88).

When you actually sit and think about it, this concept is totally true especially regarding the incongruity theory. We laugh awkwardly when someone catches us by surprise or when we're stuck in a situation that makes us feel uncomfortable. We laugh if we are unsure of what we're about to say or if silence makes us nervous because we don't know what the next moments will hold. We laugh when a joke isn't what we expected.

The incongruity theory deals with ambivalence, which can be defined as "simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings toward an object, person, or thing." Our uncertainty towards a situation causes us to laugh, and all of us can relate in one way or another to being caught off guard. This is why the incongruity theory is such a popular and widely accepted theory of humor. 

Describing laughter a "wobble of uncertainty" makes me think of a spinning top as it teeters between staying upright and toppling down. For me, this wobble usually occurs right at the moment where I'm deciding whether it would be more awkward to laugh in a particular situation or more awkward to stay silent. 

Souvenirs Extra Credit: Elle, Thomas, and Ashlyn

Billy Pilgrim, like many others, looked for meaning and security in a cross. We thought that this cross offered even more meaning and hope for its owners. Not only could they look to the cross for its innate symbolism and association with Christian values but also to the miscellaneous quotes on faith. People often use faith for hope in times of tribulation. Quotes like “If you have faith nothing shall be impossible for you” comfort its readers. I think that somebody who has this cross hanging on their wall probably feels like they literally have faith in their possession, making this quote especially comforting and definitely making it possible to make sense out of life through aggregating meaningful gift shop trinkets.

For those who believe in karma, spiritual powers, or good luck charms certain objects or talismans can have a profound effect on that person. While Billy Pilgrim had a cross hanging on his wall, many people often hang their good luck charms on the rearview mirrors of their cars to provide a sense of protection or a reminder of something significant. While in the small Texas town of Spring Branch we found a collection of YooDara dolls which each have a different name and power. We thought that Owen, who “gives you power to overcome life’s aches and pains,” had a very universal power that could be of much use to someone going through a rough patch in life.

Anyone who needs a little spice in their life can find exactly what they're looking for with Louisiana tabasco, made in Avery Island, LA, and found in many grocery stores, restaurants, and souvenir shops throughout the state.Tabasco is a common souvenir for people traveling to Louisiana because once you taste it, you'll never want to return to your bland food again! Besides being the "final touch" to many dishes, it can also serve as a friendly reminder to be spontaneous. As creatures of habit, we shouldn't be afraid to spice things up a little bit every once in a while! 

Creepin'

Over Easter holiday, we were asked to do some eavesdropping/creeping/observing on people's laughter in conversation. Reuniting with my sisters, family, and friends was indeed cause for a lot of laughter, and I observed many instances of laughter that arose from different situations during my time at home.

After being picked up from the airport by my friend, he told me that he had bought some candy for me, Sprees and Sweet-Tarts (nom!). He started to chuckle at my reaction as I realized that one of the bags of candy had already been opened and was halfway gone. (I thought it was my welcome home present?!) Then he confessed that he had forgotten what Sprees tasted like, so he had to have a few. We both burst into laughter, and when I later told my family they laughed too.

On my first night back, my sisters were telling tons of stories about their classes, teachers, and friends. Before they even began their stories they would laugh just thinking about what they were about to say. Or Lauren would begin with, "Hey Lindsey, do you remember when this or that happened?" and they would both crack up before letting me in on the story. During one of Lauren's impersonations, we all laughed because she did such a perfect impersonation of a girl who goes to our high school. This laughter was a result of both shared knowledge of the situations and people involved and also in the common type of humor that my sisters and I share.

The whole time that we sat at our kitchen table sharing our funny stories, my parents were there, laughing with/at us as my sisters and I laughed with/at each other. We were all a source of entertainment and laughter for each other! 

Meeting #4

Rayan, Hanah, and I had a lot to catch up on today as we discussed our spring breaks. They booked a trip to Cancun at the last minute and ended up having an awesome time! They were able to relax on the beach, get some sun, and also try some true Mexican food (for the first time, mind you!). They loved the weather and the beach atmosphere. They said that beaches are some of their favorite places to travel to because they're so beautiful and relaxing.

During their trip, Rayan and Hanah went to visit Mayan ruins, and in the city they had many activities (snorkeling, boat rides, and shows at night) that really highlighted all of the interesting cultural aspects of the Mayans. However, they were unable to climb the stairs of the major pyramidal ruin there because it had been discolored by photographs, etc. Even so, they learned a lot and said it was one of their favorite parts of the trip! As we talked about the reasons why we all love traveling so much, Rayan said it was a way for him to continue to learn something new everyday. I was in total agreement! 

Rayan and Hanah have a list of places they want to travel to in the future, including Austin, Houston, San Diego, Los Angeles, and back to Cancun--just to name a few. Hanah said that they always scratch a destination off of their list after they visit, and she can't wait to travel more while she and Rayan are still young and without children.

As we talked drifted into a conversation about the future, Hanah said that once they finish the program here, they will move to wherever Rayan can attend a University here in the states. They hope to stay in Texas though, because they love it so much! After Rayan finishes school, they plan on moving back to Saudi Arabia. 

At the end of our meeting, Hanah pulled out some lip balm that they had made as a project after reading "The Secret Life of Bees." It was such a friendly gesture that it made me really appreciate the opportunity that I've had to get to know this wonderful couple!

Cross Country Road Trip=SB2k13

Let's just say I had one of the best spring breaks ever, and here's why: I did some major road-trippin to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and California, with my aunt, uncle, cousin, and their GERMAN EXCHANGE STUDENT, Louisa! And I must say, the Germans do have a sense of humor after all.

I can't possibly tell you how many things Louisa said that were laugh-out-loud funny, either because they were extremely sarcastic, cause of a misunderstanding, or just shocking to hear coming out of a 16 year old's mouth. Louisa's humor, along with my 13 year old cousin's reactions, made for a memorable trip.

Our trip was filled with many instances of laughter, but here is just one example of something that I thoroughly enjoyed...

We spent a large majority of the trip in the car, driving from one destination to the next. On these long car rides, we would switch out our iPods and play them over the speakers of our rental Mini-Van (named Minnie). Louisa's music consisted of mostly American artists and bands...and of course, One Direction (a British boy band that my younger cousin absolutely DESPISES). 

Louisa's One Direction songs kept coming up on her shuffle, and my younger cousin Mary would immediately stick her tongue out, roll her eyes, and spastically fumble around for her earphones so she could listen to her own music. This was a comical reaction coming from a 13 year old that made me laugh. It was an example of a cognitive shift because you would think that as a 13 year old, Mary would LOVE One Direction just like all of the other young teenage girls around the world...but she had a totally opposite reaction.

The miles dragged on and on, and eventually Louisa decided that she wanted to make music videos in the car. Of course she wanted to make one to One Direction, but Mary was not having that. They agreed on making one with a song that they agreed on, but Louisa begged me to make a One Direction video with her, even though I didn't know the words. She insisted that it was okay and that she would let me listen to the songs on her iPod a couple of times so I could learn them before we made the video. I couldn't say no, so we made the video, and it was filled with lots of laughter, lip-syncing, and as many dance moves that are possible in a seatbelt. I really had an enjoyable time as we sat there recording ourselves jamming to One Direction. 

Mary sat rolling her eyes in the front seat...............

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Over Spring Break, I saw the play "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, CA. It gave me an another view of humor through the use of dramatic irony.

A brief synopsis is that a young Monty Navarro has 7 distant family members ahead of him in line for the family fortune. In order to avenge his mother's exile from the family, he decides that the 7 men and women above him should meet their doom so that he can acquire the family fortune.

What made this play so funny were the various side remarks and internal conversations the audience could hear going on in Monty's head. We loved him before he became a murderer. The dramatic irony of the play was very apparent as we, the audience, knew what ill-fate was going to befall the members of Monty's family before they themselves knew how they would die. Dramatic irony can be defined as (theatre) irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play...and this is exactly what "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" displayed!

Another thing that made the many death scenes bearable and actually funny was that one single actor played all 7 members of the family (both men and women) who died. Through his exaggerated personalities and the multiple costumes he donned for each character, he appeared to be a different person in every scene! Realizing he was the same actor after reading the playbill was comical!  

Even more hilarious was when, at the end of the play, once Monty had gained possession of the family fortune, that same actor appeared on stage as a member of the family further down the list of inheritors and he had poison to kill Monty!! This caused the crowd to erupt in laughter as the curtains closed.

If you're into plays, I definitely suggest seeing this one!! It was a great example of many different methods of humor. 

Sweet Sammie's with Rayan and Hanah

Today Rayan, Hanah, and I decided to meet at Sweet Sammie's. Our visit was short and sweet (literally), but I still learned so much.

Somehow we got to talking about different coffees and different countries' reputations when it comes to the preferred strength of their drink. Rayan and Hanah "take shots" of coffee, and they make it in a thermos-looking contraption. They told me that they only drink coffee on weekends because it is so strong...and they DEFINITELY don't drink it at night. Their coffee isn't ground and they don't add any sweetener or sugar. They said that they will have me over to taste their coffee sometime soon! 

Many people in Saudi Arabia become addicted to their coffee, such that they are unable to respond to anesthesia....crazy right?! The doctors have to ask if they're addicted to Saudi coffee, and if they say yes, then the doctor will give them more anesthesia so that they can undergo surgery. The other option is not drinking coffee for 24 hours prior to surgery. Hanah told me that her dad, if he could, would not only take one shot of coffee in the morning but would drink the whole thermos. However, since he has gotten older and his heart doesn't work as well as it used to, he is unable to drink the coffee anymore. People with heart disease are very much discouraged from drinking the coffee there.

The conversation changed eventually, and Rayan told me that they are not allowed to drink alcohol or eat pork in their religion; they eat kosher. Also, if they want to eat lamb, they must kill it with a knife. He said their religion is very similar to Judaism. 

Then we started talking about schools. They are from a town with about 3 million people, but ironically Rayan's elementary school was right across the street from Hanah's house. Also, they went on vacation to the same city in the summers, and Rayan would pass the apartment where Hanah and her family stayed for the summer all the time!!! So cool! 

I asked about the school system there, and they told me that there are no co-ed schools, but that they think it's better that way. Even the universities for males and females are separate, unless you go to school to be a doctor...then males and females will be together. I cannot even imagine what college would be like without guys to balance out the girls! Thank goodness all schools aren't like that here in the US!

It is amazing how much I learn about Rayan and Hanah's culture every time that we meet! It really makes me think about how different my background is from theirs but how cool it is that we can share our different experiences and learn from each other. 

PS-They loved Sweet Sammie's:)

Meeting Number 2

My second meeting with Rayan and Hanah opened my eyes to the married life in Saudi Arabia, and boy did I learn a lot. From the many stages of a relationship beginning with "formal dating," to the engagement, to the marriage itself, it seemed like everything was very specific.

In Saudi Arabia, people enter into relationships in one of two ways. In the first...say a boy is in the super market, he catches a pretty girl's eye, and she does all of the "smiling and blinking," as Rayan put it. Then they can exchange numbers and start talking on the phone. Eventually, if the guy thinks the relationship is going somewhere, he will ask his mom to set up a meeting with the girl and her family so that they can all formally meet and get a feel of what the relationship currently is and what both parties want it to be. 

Another option (and what Rayan did) is that the male, secure with his job, house, furniture, and salary, could tell his mom, "I'm ready to be married." The mom will search for a woman for her son, and usually within a month she will tell the son about her findings. She will describe the potential bride-to-be to her son so that he can get a mental image, and if she sounds nice and if he is interested, then mom would set up a meeting with the girl and her parents. 

The male would go over to the woman's house and meet her family. The meeting would only last for an hour or so, and it would consist of mostly small talk. After the man left, the woman could tell her mom, "No I didn't like him" or "I'd like to see where this relationship goes." If the former, the woman's mother would call the man's mother and tell her the news. If the latter, the man would again go to the woman's house and they would be able to begin seeing each other. The decision is all in the hands of the woman.

Rayan said that some men, if they really like the female, will follow up with a proposal the next day. WAIT, WHAT?!? This little fact completely blew my mind, but it actually happens!!!! 

Rayan and Hanah continued dating for a year, but they made it very clear to me that at this stage in the relationship there was no physical contact...except for maybe holding hands. Once they were engaged and were taking their engagement pictures (with all their families too), they could touch in front of their families in the pictures WITH a ring on their hands. At this point, Hanah and her mom had exactly 3 months to plan a wedding.......

Before anyone in Saudi Arabia can get married, they must take a blood test and get the marriage approved by the government (via an official marriage certificate). If any diseases are found in their blood, the government says that the marriage cannot happen. I thought this was really interesting, so I asked Rayan and Hanah if people still got married even though it wasn't "approved" by the government. They said it was very rare but it could happen. Think about if they did that in America! People would freak! 

The wedding cost them a huge chunk of cash because weddings are such a huge deal in Saudi Arabia. The women wear white dresses and very bright makeup, and the males wear a white robe to match their bride. About 300 guests attended their wedding, and Rayan said he saved up for 7 years to pay for all the wedding expenses. 

This completely opened up my eyes to so many interesting Saudi social norms, and it made me even more excited to meet with them again! Who knows what we'll talk about.

Vacation '58

We all have those crazy family vacation stories, but John Hughes' is one for the record. So many ludicrous things happen in this story that they undoubtedly spark humor in the readers. 

The family starts off leaving late for their vacation (I can relate), and then end up having to bring along an old, smelly aunt for the long drive to California. The whole family falls asleep in the car..."[their] new station wagon racing down U.S. 55 like a bedroom on wheels." Once the family picks up Aunt Edythe, they figure out that they're taking her dog, Dinkie, along too, who "watches 'Ed Sullivan." A dog watching a TV show is a funny idea that exhibits personification.

As they're driving through the central plains of the US, the narrator claims that everything "looked the same as Kansas." I've never been up to that part of the country, but I can imagine how boring of a drive it is. I laughed at this paragraph in the story in part because of the Superiority Theory. I'm glad I'm not the one making that drive...

Then things start to get interesting, leading to a definite sort of shift in the story, characteristic of the Incongruity Theory.

A cop pulls them over and tells them that Aunt Edythe's poor dog had been dragged behind the family's car for quite a while. Upon finding it dead, the father left it on the side of the road without telling anyone, including Aunt Edythe. 

Then the dad drives off a cliff that's "only about four feet high," but a cliff nonetheless for their '58 Plymouth Sport Suburban Six station wagon. Everyone gets all banged-up and naturally it is quite an ordeal...with false teeth flying, broken glasses, and spilled Kool-Aid. I think this is humorous because it exhibits the Superiority Theory. Had we been in that situation (particularly as the father or Aunt Edythe), it probably wouldn't have been quite as funny. 

They have to get their car towed, and the tower happens to be the sheriff of the town, who claims that $588 dollars for a tow isn't robbery. But because the family gave the tow company all the money they had, even all the dollars they could find in Aunt Edythe's shoe, the father decides to rob the motel the family stayed at. I can just picture the father trying to be subtle as he reached over the counter, took the money from the register, and made a run for it. It would be a funny thing to watch on a security camera. 

Of course the cops come after them and a cop chase quickly ensues, but with skill, the family escapes thanks to the dad's commands to the narrator to push the ice chest at the cop cars. In Bisbee, the dad switches license plates (I think this would be funny to watch as a fly on the wall too). 

Then the family figures out that Aunt Edythe died...and has been dead for at least 10 hours...naturally, their solution is to put her on the roof covered with the father's raincoat. This is terrible, but funny because it is so absurd. Once they get to Tucson they leave Auntie Edythe outside in a patio chair with an umbrella in her hand. Kinda sounds like a sketchy murder cover-up to me. 

Once the family gets into Arizona, they are shooted at by missiles that were being tested.  Then they are attacked by drunk, rifle-carrying Indians, who force the dad to give them the remainder of his stolen money and who end up taking everything.

The family starts to cry all together as it's raining....This image is just pitiful in my head, but at the same time it's funny in a superiority-kind of way. Once they reach Disney Land and find that it is closed for repairs and cleaning, the dad buys a revolver, shows up at Walt Disney's house, and shoots him in the thigh.  

The family leaves dad behind and takes a plane home, realizing that maybe it IS the smart way to travel. 

Most of this story is related to the superiority theory, but it is also comical because everyone at some point has experienced a vacation or trip that goes completely wrong. By weaving many unimaginable events together in this short story, John Hughes sets up a hilarious plot.

The Waltz

This short story by Dorothy Parker was one of the first readings assigned for this class that has actually made me laugh out loud while reading it. Throughout the story, the narrator switches between cordial speech with a young man that has just asked her to dance and an internal voice that she uses to express her true feelings to the readers.

Her blatant use of hyperboles and sarcasm makes this story especially hilarious to me. She says, "Being struck dead would look like a day in the country, compared to struggling out a dance with this boy." Obviously she wouldn't want to be dead...but she uses this statement to express just how miserable she is. She then thinks to herself, "I'd love to waltz with you. I'd love to waltz with you. I'd love to have my tonsils out, I'd love to be in a midnight fire at sea." Okay, so a little dramatic, but which young woman isn't at some point in their lives?!

I remember those awkward middle school dances where there would always be one guy you wanted to ask you to dance...but of course everyone else and their brother asked you instead! Only thinking about dancing with your dream boy made the 3 minute long dances with everyone else feel like a lifetime!! 

She compares his spastic dancing to the "constant rush, rush, rush, that's the curse of American life." This sentence gives us a slight glimpse into what I think is a deeper meaning of the short story that perhaps relates to the norms of society at the time that the narrator can't seem to escape.

The narrator's misery seems to be never-ending as the dance drags on and on, and she says, "And the music is never going to stop playing, and we're going on like this, Double-Time Charlie and I, throughout eternity"...Time seems to move slowest when we have to do something we really don't want to do because it seems nerve-racking, horrifying, or just plain boring to us. 

She even imagines her dance partner's death after he kicks her shin "that [she's] had ever since [she] was a little girl!" He keeps stepping on her accidentally, and her whole life flashes before her eyes... 

The story ends with the music stopping, but her partner wants to pay the musician to play more songs! The narrator can't say anything to him but, "That would be lovely. And look, do tell them to play this same thing. I'd simply adore to go waltzing."

To me, this short story is so funny because I feel like anyone can relate to it in some particular way or another. I definitely have a tendency to over-exaggerate things in my head, and I know it's easy for everyone to do the same thing. Although having it in writing inside the mind of a woman stuck doing the waltz with a terrible dance partner just makes it all the more hilarious!

An entertaining organic chemistry class (wait, do those even exist?)

It seemed like a normal day in organic chemistry...

Everyone held their breath as Dr. Montchamp walked in with his huge manilla folder. Are there quizzes in there or does he just have a ton of papers that he's carrying around to trick us into thinking there's a quiz????...this is the question we all ask ourselves everyday when he struts into class. 

The class fell silent, and he looked around smugly, pulled out his EXPO marker, and walked toward the board. No quiz, phew!!!

On he went about photohalogenation and the Hammond Postulate, and everyone settled into our normal routines of taking down notes as we tried to keep up with whatever foreign concept he was talking about..."The more radical character state on the carbon, the more selectivity because it..."

When suddenly, someone pushed open the door and yelled "IS SEAN IN THIS CLASS?" Indeed, Sean was. Turns out his girlfriend bought him a singing gram from Chords for Kids and asked the singers to deliver her special love song DURING organic chemistry. To be honest, I thought that Montchamp wouldn't be a happy camper...but to our surprise, he stood smiling by the board. It even looked like he was chuckling a little bit. This got all of us laughing much more than the singing, although they did quite a good job. If you knew Montchamp, you'd know that usually we don't get much emotion out of him.

The event definitely seemed to fit the incongruity theory of humor because we experienced two totally different things (organic chemistry and a Valentine's Day singing gram) happening one right after the other. Besides the singing completely throwing our class off guard, it was hilarious because we saw our professor react in such an unexpected way. 

After the singers finished their fine tune, the class cheered. As they walked out the door, Montchamp said (very monotonously, might I add) "Don't get used to this. Back to earth now." The whole class busted out in laughter, because usually when he says something that doesn't pertain directly to organic molecules, it's pretty funny. 

He continued his lecture..."Like I was saying, the more radical character state on the carbon, the more selectivity because it reflects radical stability..."

Then the door swung open again, and in came Michael, one of the students in the class who was singing in the Cords for Kids group that had left just minutes before.

Montchamp muttered under his breath, "I just don't know what to expect."

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

Mardi Gras is a huge part of Louisiana culture that I was lucky enough to celebrate this past weekend with many of my high school friends and even some new friends as well. One of my best friends, Melissa, was "Queen of Contraband" for the Krewe of Contraband's Golden Anniversary. 50 years ago, her grandfather started this krewe, which now has a prominent role in the Mardi Gras celebrations of Southwest Louisiana. 

In the presence of royalty

Mardi Gras seems like a crazy spectacle to some people...and it really is...but where I'm from everyone enjoys every second of it! With parades, balls, and crazy costumes, for many people it's the time of their life. In my opinion, everyone should experience it once before they die.

In Morreall's book, he talks about humor can be used to "let people mock authority and tradition, and in general, lighten up," and he uses Mardi Gras as an example of this. Over the weekend I noticed that everything about Mardi Gras is so funny; humor is blatantly present in the costumes and the extravagance of it all.

A member of the krewe

Saturday night was the huge Krewe of Contraband ball, and it began with two "jesters" who were dressed from head to toe in goofy costumes and had masks covering their faces. They set the stage for the queens and dukes that were about to be presented to the crowd. The jesters danced around, hopping and skipping and getting the crowd excited. Many cheered and chuckled at their over-the-top movements and gestures. Then out came the members of the krewe, all male, and their faces were covered so that the focus of the night would be on the queen and the princesses. These men came out yelling, dancing, and handing out beads. All of my friends and I were standing up and hollering in hopes that they would throw beads our way. But thinking back on it, how silly is it that someone would stand and yell and wave their hands like a crazy person just to get some plastic beads around their neck?!?!

The night was filled with laughter and dancing. All of the parents even busted out a few moves...much to their kids' dismay. 

The funniest part of the weekend for me was another celebration held for the members of the krewe on Sunday night. They had hired a band, and everyone was having a good time eating and enjoying their music. But once the majority of the people left and there were only a few of us left, the real dance moves came out. Many of my friends sang karaoke and joked with the lead singer, and they even pressured him to dance in front of everyone as we stood whooping and clapping our hands to the beat. And man, could he dance! The singer even called a few adults out and made them dance in the middle of the floor...they really got into it! My friend Savannah's dad had had a couple of drinks, and he got a little crazy out there. He somehow ended up on the floor doing this strange crawling motion as he rolled around the floor. If you want a little illustration just so you can picture this, you've got it. 

 

As we stood around singing along with the band and dancing, I realized that laughter really does serve to bond people. Whether we were laughing at the masked men, our parents' dance moves, or our friends acting a fool, we were bonding. Many of the young people that were there to support Melissa and to celebrate Mardi Gras were people I had never met before this weekend, and through all of our crazy Mardi Gras experiences I definitely gained some new friends.

Mardi Gras seems to come down to one simple phrase:

Laissez les bons temps rouler...let the good times roll!

My First Meeting with Rayan and Hanah

I wish that I had a better memory so that I could recount all of the awesome things I learned during my first meeting with my conversation partner, Rayan, and his wife, Hanah. Rayan and I decided to meet at Union Grounds on Wednesday, February 6, and as the day came quickly approached, I became apprehensive. But as I arrived at the newly furnished Union Grounds, I spotted Rayan and his wife sitting together, and I became excited to see what this opportunity would teach me. After our introductions, the conversation quickly took off as we talked about their classes. They are both taking writing, speaking, reading, and speech classes in English. Right now they are reading "The Secret Life of Bees," and Rayan told me that after they finish the novel they'll be able to watch the movie in class. He thought it would be cool to know what the characters were going to say in the movie before the scene actually played. Rayan said that they go to school Monday-Friday from 9-1, and that they are enjoying it. 

Rayan and his wife moved to the United States last January and began their adventure in Knoxville, Tennessee. There they began the task of learning English, and they decided to come to Texas to get more practice and work up to taking the GRE. One of their favorite things about Texas is all of the cuisine. They especially like Mediterranean food, Terra in particular. I told them that next time they go, they have to try Sweet Sammie's because it's so close! Hanah pulled out her notebook and wrote down the name and then she asked me what type of cuisine it was...I said desert and she wrote down "sweets." I noticed that in her notebook she had other restaurants written down that other people had probably recommended to them. I thought it was comical that for as long as they have been in Texas, they still haven't tried Mexican food!! So I told them that Blue Mesa was the place to go.

From that conversation stemmed a conversation about Spring Break plans. They hope to make a trip to either Las Vegas, the Caribbean, or Cancun. Rayan and Hanah LOVE to travel! When they lived in Tennessee, they made trips up the coast to New York and Washington D.C., and later they made another trip south to Charleston, Atlanta, and Miami (Hanah made Rayan drive, but he said it wasn't too bad!). 

They are from Saudi Arabia, and luckily they were able to go back for a month during winter break. All of their family still lives there, but they don't get too homesick since they have each other here. 

I asked them what kinds of differences exist between the Saudi Arabian and American cultures, and Rayan responded with a question for me...he said, "Well, what is the first thing that flashes in your mind when you think of Saudi Arabia?" The only thing I could think of were the high temperatures and deserts. He asked, "Do you think of oil and camels and funny outfits????" and then he and Hanah turned towards each other and started laughing heartily. I asked them what it was like there and how they would describe it in a couple of sentences. Rayan said that in Saudi Arabia everyone is so hospitable. He said they are always sharing things with others (especially food!) and that you always feel really welcome there, which he felt was different than the United States. I wondered if he noticed a similarity between Saudi Arabia and the southern part of the US, since we're often associated with hospitality, and he said he could see a little bit of a similarity.

Then they told me about the different regions in Saudi Arabia and the different stereotypes each have. They are from the eastern part of the country which is generally more open minded. Those in the south are known as being especially closed minded, and the people in the East are even more so even though they are exposed to more cultures. Rayan and Hanah speak Arabic, and they wrote out their names in Arabic while showing me what each individual letter looked like. There are over 30 accent marks which is crazy! They are encouraged to speak English at home, but they said they only speak English about 10% of the time for simple words in English that they don't feel like using the Arabic words for.

Rayan showed me his phone and what all of the Arabic characters looked like on their keyboard. Once I was looking at his phone I noticed two different dates at the top of the screen. Rayan told me that they use two calendars in Saudi Arabia, the lunar calendar and the regular calendar we use. The lunar calendar was used in the days before our calendars of today were used, and it is determined by looking at the moon each night and seeing a slight change in the light reflected from the sun. The government in Saudi Arabia actually monitors it, and on days that it's cloudy they make public announcements concerning the calendar so that everyone stays on the same track. I also noticed that instead of having today's date as 6/2/2013 their's read 25/3/1434 so I had to ask what Rayan what this meant. He explained it to me like this..."You use 2013 because that's how long it has been since Jesus died, but our prophet is Muhammad, so we count the years since he walked the earth, and that's how we get 1434." He blew my mind with that, but at the same time it made so much sense! 

I absolutely can't wait to continue our conversation next week, as I have already learned much more than I ever would've thought from this sweet couple!!