Snapshot # 3

Small

Lights, camera and action is what you think when you hear the word 'stage'. But for me, this world is a stage and all living beings are the lively characters performing their role on this stage. Every living being has an important role and humans DO NOT have the spotlight!

Successful group work

I have worked in a group setting with several organizations. One such organization is the International Student Council (ISC). ISC is an umbrella organization for all the international and multicultural groups on campus and we host several cultural, educational and entertaining events for these organizations. It takes a lot of time and effort to organize these events as we have to work with people from different departments. Thankfully we have been successful in organizing such events every year due to our passion and love for this organization. I believe communication is the key factor. If communication is well maintained between all the sub-parts of the group, one can succeed in their goals.

Imitating Annie Dillard

Every time I enter my house, a peculiar smell attracts me. Its the smell of herbs and spices we use in our cooking. The strong smell reminds me of home in India. I can imagine the small box where the spices are kept. It is a small round box with several small bowls arranged in a flower-like arrangement. Every bowl has a different spice: chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, salt and garam masala (brown powder). Every spice has its own texture and taste. Salt is white in color and free flowing; chilli powder is red in color and it is a fine powder made of grounded chillies. Similarly, turmeric is a fine yellow powder that has healing properties and coriander is fine green powder made of dried coriander leaves that were ground. Cumin and mustard seeds have completely different texture and shape. Mustard seeds are small round black seeds while cumin seeds are small spindle-shaped brown seeds. Garam Masala is the tastiest and spiciest of all spices and it is brown in color. It adds the best flavor to the food. The box also contains one small silver tea spoon to be used while making food. Such is the arrangement of all the spice box whose contents help in making some of the healthiest and most flavorful food!

Sandra Steingraber issue

There are organizations like PAN North America that are addressing issues raised by Sandra Steingraber. They have their own campaigns and actions that we could join and support. But if we want to take immediate action on a local level, we could try to spread awareness as the first step. The different ways to spread awareness would be to have documentary showing with a discussion panel; let the school children and parents know about the health risks related to pesticide-infested food; have demonstrations on campus about the issues; market events related to the issues so that more people attend such awareness programs.

Social and Environmental changes

Education has exposed me to the environmental and social problems existing around the world. I have tried to address some of these issues on a personal as well as a group level. The various actions that I have taken to address these problems are as below:

• Recycling of papers, cans et cetra.
• Reducing consumption as a consumer and purchasing things that are required only.
• Spread awareness about hunger and poverty by organizing a 12 Hour Famine event during the celebration of International Week 2009 organized by International Student Council. The students who participated, did not eat food for 12 hours while learning about the different problems a starving person goes through. We had several simulations, games, activities, videos and discussions to help the participants have first hand experience.
• Co-founded UNICEF @ ISU to address social problems and raise money to help towards it.
  

Personal Mission Statement

I am a caring person and I strongly believe in not hurting anyone in the process of doing one's own tasks. I am concerned about the environment, wildlife and humans equally. I believe in progress of the world and not just humans. I want to be able to live justly in all spheres of my life and I want to try my best to do so without being bound by the problems of human existence.

Blood Dazzler: Part 1

How does the writer structure the poem and to what effect?

In one of Patricia Smith's poems, 'Katrina', the writer describes the disastrous hurricane Katrina's characteristics by personalizing it and writing it as if she herself was the hurricane. The usage of 'I' in the poem personifies the hurricane and thus has a great impact.

The poem starts with the explanation that it had started elsewhere and then proceeds to the change of its character while it was advancing towards New Orleans and then it ends with what it had done. The line breaks in the poem are dramatic and give the effect of the sequence of events that occurred. The writer's use of words like 'bitch-monikered' and 'scraping toward the first of you' shows the character of hurricane itself. The poem starts with a low tone and then builds to a higher one and then comes to a sudden end indicating the movement of hurricane. Such build-up from start to finish showcases the vicious character of the hurricane.