Sunday, April 20, 2014

"When I first came to the United States, I saw it everywhere."

“I know it is non-tangible,” Jaime Morales, an immigrant from Mexico, said, “but when I first came to the United States, I saw it everywhere.” Freedom is defined differently by everyone depending on their background. Elementary students hear the word and immediately think of soldiers, their heroes, or the opportunities to choose between options instead of their parents choosing for them. Meanwhile the average hispanic views freedom as a tangible goal which they strive towards. Webster’s Dictionary defines freedom as “the power to determine action without restraint” and “the state of being free.”
When asked what freedom meant, twelve-year-old Nathalia Morales said the term is having more privileges as a result from acting responsibly. “I want freedom from my parents and go to sleepovers.” Next she added how freedom was thought of differently over one hundred years ago. “They should not have treated dark-skinned African Americans like that. It was not their fault. That is how they came. It does not make sense.” She squinted her eyes, looked out the window, and tapped her little-bitty fingers against the wooden table and added, “I remember learning in history that we can say certain things in newspapers and not go to jail.” Nathalia was correctly referring to the first amendment, which includes the freedom of press and is often referred to as vital for ensuring the government does not override its power. Thomas Jefferson, prominently known for writing the Constitution, said, “a republic cannot be both ignorant and free.” He was in favor of a nation whose government did not have official control of published information.
The first amendment also includes the freedom of religion, freedom to peaceably assemble and freedom to petition. These rights are constantly being used and questioned. The Supreme Court is currently working on a case, Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., which challenges whether business owners can conduct their freedom of religion throughout the stores. Through the Affordable Health Care Act, businesses with over fifty employees are required to provide health care for the employees or pay a fine. The health care plan includes paying for contraceptives, some of which the owners are strongly opposed to.
On the other hand, Nathalia’s older sister, Jessica Morales, said, “I have the freedom to become whatever I want and reach my dreams.” The dream of fifteen-year-old Jessica Morales is to earn enough money for her Quinceañera, a religious hispanic celebration of a girl’s transition to womanhood. Jessica is also earning money to go to college and become a pediatrician, hopefully. “I thank God every day for enabling my parents and their families to immigrate to the United States when they were my age. I have so many more opportunities here than I would in Mexico.” Over one thousand miles away in Juárez, Mexico, single mother Yvonne Navarro, was most likely working her eleven-hour shift at the maquiladora, a factory where washing machine parts are made and shipped across the river to El Paso, Texas. She was also earning money for a quinceañera, but for her sixteen-year-old daughter who had to wait an extra year in order to earn enough money for the celebration. “I want to go to college and become a lawyer,” her daughter said. Yvonne’s daughter’s chances of reaching her dreams are slim. There are approximately one hundred public colleges and universities in Mexico; To be admitted into these colleges, students must be ranked as the top students of their class. Jessica has more options in the United States with over one thousand public colleges and universities to choose from.
Jessica’s father, Jaime Morales, and his family moved to California from Guadalajara, Mexico over twenty years ago, referring to the move as the “best and worst decision” he has ever made. “I feel confined here without a high school diploma or degree, but it pays off through the opportunities my daughters have,” he responded in Spanish. “They have the freedom to be whatever they want to be.” His youngest daughter, Nathalia, looked up and smiled at him. “Thank you, Papi,” she said.
“Everybody says freedom is what the soldiers fight for. The kids at school say that is the most important freedom we have.” Nathalia said. Blogger Justin Doolittle asked Nathalia, “So if our military disappeared, then our freedom would disappear with it?” She replied with a confused look and stood up from her chair to check on her hidden stash of cookies in her room. After Nathalia left, he intently looked in the eyes of each person that remained around the table. “Freedom has become a political word that means whatever you need it to mean.” Justin no longer watches sports on television because of the frequent references to freedom and the U.S. military as one entity. “I remember seeing countless tweets during the World Series which thanked our troops for allowing us to live freely. Decades of effective propaganda did this to us. We do not live freely because of what troops are doing today. It is not the eighteenth century.”
The well known quote of “freedom is not free” is viewed differently by everyone. For Jaime Morales, freedom came with a price of moving a thousand miles away from his family, losing opportunities for himself, but gaining infinite choices for his daughters. Jessica Morales can celebrate her Quinceañera this summer and continue to reach her dreams of attending almost any college she would like. Nathalia is free to eat as many cookies as she would like and will later experience the cost of freedom firsthand. And Justin will continue to hate how the word is so easily thrown around but love what it means.

Monday, March 31, 2014

I am a nerd; therefore, I shall attend a convention.

San Diego, baby, where the temperature is between 61 and 79 degrees year-around. It's known as "America's finest city" and is the destination of high school journalists all over the nation.
Journalism Education Association's National Journalism Convention!
We're leaving next Tuesday, and since we're on Spring Break right now, that means two Spring Breaks for me!! 


Thursday, March 13, 2014

You can tell a lot about a person...

by where they park. Are they popular and park by the gym? Or are they the realistic person who parks as close to their classes as possible?
by how they walk. Tell me about dat gait.
by their choice of "casual" clothing. Uncomfortable, yet stylish, or comfortable and functional?
by the way they handle a bad day. 
by their handshake. If they give you the "bone crusher," they're the independent, confident type. If they throw you the "limp fish," then they're obviously shier. If they totally miss your hand... they need help.
by the way they laugh. I loudly applaud for those people who aren't afraid to laugh that loud, hilarious laugh. Props to you.
by the way they speak to their parents. Respectful? Ungrateful?
by the amount of effort they put into their homework
by the number of times they bring themselves up in a conversation.
by their bucket list.
*Wouldn't that be an interesting, fun blog post? I'll work on it. Thanks for the idea.
by the presidential candidate they vote for.
by the fact of whether they vote or not.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

I Am Scrooge

I pear outside the studio window and see snow rapidly falling to the already-covered ground like powdered sugar. God has blessed me with such a magnificent, ineffable hometown. The snowfall makes Cody appear like an idyllic town on the cover of a postcard. I turn off my old computer, wait for the usual whirr of its shut down and quickly leave. Twenty minutes away, my impatient sisters are waiting for my return to build the first snowman of the season.
Waiting for my little Toyota Corolla to heat up, I smell “summer breeze” car scent, reminding me of summer, the acme of my year. In my peripheral vision, I see two abandoned cars on the side of the rode. My car begins to slide out of my control as I cautiously turn onto main street, giving me a racing heart. Quickly correcting and driving back in my lane, I wipe my sweaty hands on my lap.
Winter is easily my least liked season. Mother Nature perspicaciously deceives us all during the winter. She blesses us with a seemingly beautiful snowfall, but we later realize the snowfall is a curse. Our cars slide into other lanes, risking our lives and others’. We are forced to make up work because of snow days like I am today.
Yet some have invented mundane activities to supposedly make winter easier and more pleasurable. Some are zealous about winter because it’s the season of skiing and snowboarding. Others spend their time gaining weight and watching movies, enjoying the absence of bugs and insects, all in the confinements of living rooms and cafes. On the other hand, are the honest Scrooges like me. We are not fooled by the beauty winter portrays. At first it appears beautiful, but the next day the glorious sea of white snow is a muddy mess. Whoever said winter is the most wonderful time of the year lied. Salt infests your carpet, your dog smells like the breath of someone who need a root canal, and your nose is constantly running. It takes significantly longer to drive home with the dangerous roads and lack of sunlight after 5pm.
My phone vibrates loudly in my leather bag, interrupting my irritable thoughts. My sisters are probably wondering what is taking me so long. When I come home, I’ll tell them I was stuck behind Winter. Are there any pleasant things about winter other than its fake beauty? Thinking of an answer to my own ridiculous question, I shove a handful of animal crackers into my mouth with one hand and keep the other on the steering wheel, trying to control the vehicle. I mentally add another thing to the endless list of reasons of why I despise winter- we are obligated to keep food and emergency supplies in our cars, just in case we become stuck.
Turning onto my driveway, I see my three younger sisters have started building the snowman without me. They begin waddling towards my car in their snow pants, hats, gloves and probably a billion layers of long-sleeved shirts. Nathalia, the youngest, hugs me tightly and dampens my jacket with snow. “Let me go and change so I can help, alright?” I say as I step into the safety of my home and am welcomed by the smell of my mom’s cooking.
I change into my own snow gear and think that maybe winter isn’t that bad. Winter is when I spend the most time with my sisters. I honestly enjoy spending time with them doing the amusing things that sway my mind away from my hate for winter.
Walking towards the door I put on my hat, no longer caring if it ruins my hair. Opening the door, I see my sisters are ready to bombard me with snowballs. Before I can run ten feet, Mother Nature catches my boot in a mound of snow and pulls me down. My sisters watch me fall and run towards me, giggling at my stupidity. They realize my vulnerability and throw hard-packed snowballs at me simultaneously. Rubbing the snow off my face, I realize the one and only enjoyable thing about winter- the end.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Bucket List in 5 minutes. Go.

Go to Italy


Become a well-known journalist and get my own Wikipedia page


Play "River Flows in You" on the piano


Go to a Beatles Tribute Band concert

Walk through Area 51

Meet Leonardo DiCaprio


Dedicate an entire day to John F. Kennedy Memorial Museum in Boston

Unveil the truth about Tyson Foods


Hike through the Amazon

Help kids in undeveloped, third world countries

Go to the World Cup with my dad

Run a marathon
                                                            
                                                                Get my pilot's license

Learn and master sports like archery and tennis

Learn how to skate, then skate in an outdoor rink


Learn how to swim


Visit the Louvre Museum

Solve a Rubik's cube


Learn how to juggle


Be a part of a flash mob

Become a better painter

Ice climb


Be a movie extra

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

#Ilovemesomehashtags

Twitter is the new Facebook. It's the new thing, yo.
Today 460,000 new Twitter accounts will be created.
My new favorite account is @ThisIsDeep, and the incredible thing about it is that the account was created 3 days ago and it already has over 24,000 followers. Explain that to me, man. I don't get it.










Follow me @abbeymorales
I promise I won't say any bad words! *tweet any bad words