The Complete Persepolis (A book you all should read!) :)

         I absolutely loved the book: The Complete Persepolis. It was informative, captivating, historical and stunning. As soon as I started reading the book, I was instantly hooked. The narrative format, and the design of the book made it appealing and easy read, yet the content was powerful and emotive. Perhaps the fact that the story line begins from a little girl’s perspective made it even more profound. The story revolves around Marji, a young girl living in Tehran in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Marji starts telling the story from her perspective as a 10 year old. It’s pretty impressive to see the growth, the changes and the maturation of Marji as time goes by and as the book evolves. I highly recommend the book to you guys! It is a book that will open up hearts and minds to foreign affairs and toils of people across from the world. It will also educate and introduce matters that might still continue to make news today.

Marjane Satrapi

In a world where constant change surrounds us, where our character and values are tested, especially in a country foreign to us, it’s very hard to remain faithful to personal believes and principles. This is exactly what Marji endured, and she tells the story with passion, humor, and sentiment. As I started reading the book I became interested in the history of Iran, I also sympathized with the Satrapi family and I even cried. It’s interesting to note that Marji has a witty sense of humor and she’s very intelligent. And as the story is being told I laughed, I felt the pain or anger that she felt and I feel the emotions that she’s portraying. And this is what a good writer should evoke in the reader.

I must admit that as I read the book I realized how little I know of other religions and countries. My interest sparked and I did a little more or research by reading and talking to people who lived in Iran. To my surprise their stories were similar to the ones from Marji. Only they were a little bit younger and they never went back once they left their homes. Overall, it was just as interesting as reading the book. Hearing this from other people who have the same views towards this issues was strengthened the opinion I already had about the political power in Iran. Far from being a political book though, this is a captivating memoir that opened up a new world for me to discover.

Overall, the book was wonderfully written and because I was able to identify some of my personal sentiments with those of Marji, the book became very dear to me. The main part of this book was discovering oneself in the midst of chaos and rebellion. Just like Marji, I also struggle to maintain my identity and values in this ever-changing world. Not just because I live in a country that doesn’t have the same culture as I do, but because I want to fit in.  But to what degree do I want to fit in? I had to ask myself that question too, what would I exchange in order to fit in? The answer came later in life, when I was twenty five years old I knew that I wouldn’t give up anything about my background because that is part of what makes up the “self” in me. Part of this is the respect towards my parents as huge part of my life, just like Marji, I cried in the end when her mom passed away. She’s right, even in today’s world, freedom still has a price. 

Stay tuned for another awesome book I'm currently reading! 

Friends and Friendships

The very first time I discovered I could have other friends beside my lovely sisters was in kindergarten. We were little in age and size, but we had big dreams and a big heart. 

 

What can I say, we were cute little kids! 

I remember hanging out with those girls at all times, regardless of time and place. They were smart, pretty and simply innocent. I remember playing with Barbie dolls and forgetting to go home after school, spending the afternoon with them.

It has been almost 20 years since I saw them, but I cannot forget the sweet memories and the mud houses we built together.

I'm in the back (left), my best friends are in the front (left and middle)

We, as human beings, were designed to create and build relationships. In fact, it is believed that 80 percent of the cortex (called the neocortex) was developed to help human beings understand each other with regards to intentions, feelings and thoughts. Much of our brain is devoted to relate to each other, which is why friendships are extremely fundamental to emotional and psychological well-being. Besides, friends are the only “family” we get to choose J

I love the diversity in culture, age, personalities and ideals in our friendship

And we know how to have fun! 

I have lived a live full of laughter, tears, pain, and many friends along the way to make me a bubbly and happy person. I have a lot of respect for those who took time to understand, know, and cherish me. I truly believe I am who I am because of those people.

Fermin, who was more than a friend and taught me more than I can explain.

In California

Cip, my far-away friend. We met in high school, and became good friends after high school

I wish I could still see this girl, she was sweet, cool, and never afraid of anything or anyone

I also have loved and lost some of my friends, but regardless of where we stand today, I am convinced that I will never forget the impact those friends had in my wondering live. I will never forget the way they helped me grow and the new outlook they provided to my live. I am truly thankful for such fortune, their kindness and wisdom will forever be embedded in my soul.

The days I learned from awesome people

This was by far one of the best days of my life, I will never forget that friend who made me feel so special. He will forever remain in my heart and mind. 

We were young and dumb, but this guy has known me since freshman year in highschool

In a way, this post is sort of a tribute to the people who care, love and accept me (and my sometimes irrational ideas) for who I am, despite the challenges in their own microsystems.

I have no words to express how grateful, appreciative I am for you, and how admiring you guys truly are. I have learned so many great things from you all, and I wish I could give back what I get from you; love, hope, believe, appreciation, respect and laughter.

MY CHINGU! The BFF ;)

And lastly…a few words for the ones that have showed me friendship since the day they met me! J

My little Sister Nena 

My wonderful mother and amazing older sister

How I love this woman, she's truly an example of a great woman

Do you know how amazing she is? :) 

She's elegant and beautiful, I learn from her all the time!

Chin-gu, you fit right in :)

The meaning of friendship takes form and becomes alive in my mother, father, and sisters. It is them that represent what love, forgiveness, friendship, and dreams should be. Friendship; It is my older sister who inspires me every single day to dream, live, learn, fight, and love. Friendship; It is my little sister who teaches me time and time again to love, forgive and excel.

They are my world, and mean the world to me!

I LOVE YOU! 

Autumn in silence, inside us, putting it behind us

Fall of 2004…

 The heat of the summer had finally settled and the breeze of the fall had swept through the city in a heartbeat. It was a time for scarfs, light jackets, hot coffee and holding hands. And that’s how we walked to school day after day, hand in hand with nothing but an empty stomach. We smiled and laughed as if we had no cares, worries or problems. Little did we know the days of joy were soon to be over and winter would suddenly cool the heat of the summer passions.

Fall is a season meant to be shared. Whether it’s shared with the most important person in your life, or the romance that sprung from a simple “hello” on a ripped piece of paper.

If you don’t have it, you long for it. If you have it, you take advantage of it.

I still remember the black coat and the blue scarf you wore when we first met, it was the very first day of fall the year before, your smile pierced through my broken heart thawing every single broken piece. It was between Math and English that I learned your name, and during Romeo and Juliet when we exchanged notes for the first time.

Every time I saw that skinny boy walking through the halls, my mind spun and I loved the sudden halt by your voice calling out my name. The perfectly shaped lips and those calm eyes that said more than I could understand never failed to hypnotize me in such a way that I didn’t want you to stop.

I always wondered what you liked about me; was it the sadness in my eyes that intrigued you? Perhaps the bubbly personality I developed over time? Or was it the smile that greeted you every morning? The fact is that you broke through the tough protective walls I had built and gave me a reason to believe in romance again, and a reason to go to school every day. I graduated early because of my longing to see you every single day, whether in school or outside of school.

And here we were in college, walking with confidence as if you and I had a clue of what it meant to be an adult. You became a sports novelty and gained popularity and I became a fighter for social justice and gained activist friends. The silence of your lips and the arguments in my mind created a fissure between us that became bigger and bigger with everything we didn’t say. And when December froze the streets we walked on, our romance also froze, and it was over.

I cried, you cried. I pleaded, you reasoned. I walked away and you watched me leave.

That Christmas was undoubtedly the saddest.

Your silence was the saddest conversation I’ve ever had.

And then Spring of 2005 came along with blooming flowers, warm showers and promising lovers…

...............to be continued.

Reasons why I want to become a Social Worker

     There is a saying I learned from my older sister, “he who does not live to serve does not deserve to live.” I cannot imagine a world without people who truly live by this principle. It is these people who move and shape society at its core and center. I grew up surrounded by people who sacrificed time, effort, money, energy and even personal assets to devote their lives to serve other people, consequently I started to live like them. I started devoting much of my time and talents to our youth group at my local church, and it is then when I became aware of my deepest desires, it is then when I learned where the greatest needs are. I don’t want to romanticize this idea of becoming a Social Worker because in the real world many barriers and stressors often cloud our vision and makes us question our purpose. But I also know the impact of social work in an individual, I know how meaningful this career can be for me and for those we serve.

     Aside of the work itself, there is another aspect of Social Work; Education. I know that many people take education for granted and maybe at some point in my life I did too, but I always knew that education was a big part of my life and my foundation as an individual, I am very confident that there are several people out there like me who strive to become a better human being to serve others. Education is just a step forward to a better today. These might be just words on black white, but the very essence of my desire to further my education is this: Those who read lead, and those write set things right. As an aspiring Social Worker, I seek to encourage, inspire and influence other individuals to excel and go beyond expectations to live a respectable life and learn to serve others.

     I strongly believe in social justice, service and enhancing the quality of lifestyle of an individual, which is the mission of the social work profession. I also believe in supporting and promoting social change through community involvement and action. As a person who has worked with both, youth and adults, I am confident in carrying out the duties of a Social Worker in either setting. In working with youth, I learned that I possess leadership skills and creative ways of communicating well with children, teens and young adults. On the other hand, working with adults as a Patient Advocate has been character building and I’ve learned to deal with different personalities in a respectful manner.

     My background as a Latino minority has definitely influenced my respect towards individuals as human beings. However, I understand that it is not enough to come from a different culture or ethnicity to understand the role of diversity in social work. It is important to have exposure and knowledge about a vast variety of cultures and subcultures. Rather than taking race, class, sexual orientation, gender or age as separate from an individual, it should be seen as part of the whole picture. Especially in social work, we are more than likely to work with a diverse population and encounter unique circumstances and people as well. I believe that social work should not be biased, but seek to challenge human errors and validity. Acquiring knowledge about the human behavior in all aspects and content on one’s life is vital for a social worker, and the focus should be on the core social work values but never forget the importance of diversity.

     The ethical principles based on the core values of social work are definitely something I aspire. Becoming a social worker has been something I’ve been hoping to become for a long time. In the majority of my jobs I have been surrounded by people who devote much of their time to serve others and strive to build better human relationships, whether as social workers, religious leaders, clinical psychologists or teachers. And like those individuals, I also want to commit and devote to the service and to uphold the values and ethical standards of Social Work.