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!
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
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...............
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.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
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:)
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:)
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