Outside Cultural Event #1

For my first outside cultural event I decided to attend a German movie with English subtitles called "Die Friseuse" which translates into "The Hairdresser". Before I attended this movie I decided to look up what it was about and I found out that it was about an obese unemployed woman who had a dream to become a hairdresser. When I saw this I thought it was a bit unnecessary to say that the woman was obese. However I did not realize how much her weight played a role in this movie until I watched it.

Because of her weight, she lost her husband, house, and struggles while looking for a job. On top of all of this she is having a hard time keeping a healthy relationship with her daughter because her daughter does not want to be around her. When she applies for a job, she almost gets it until she arrives and the boss tells her that she is not aesthetically pleasing enough for a hairdresser job. When she gets turned down from this job she tries to go about a route of opening her own hair salon in the same mall but because of her weight she struggles to get a loan for the store. When she finally gets the money and clearance to open her store it gets shut down because of a problem with her floors. After all of this happens she also gets diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis which hinders her movement. However after everything that happens to her, she remains positive and keeps looking for her dream job.

In the last 10 minutes of the movie, she secures a job as a hairdresser, has a good relationship with her daughter again, and is overall happy. I really enjoyed this movie because even with all of the odds against her, this hairdresser remains positive and keeps trying to follow her dream instead of just complaining and giving up. This movie made me realize that even though things might not always go in your favor, if you remain positive and stay driven to achieve what you want, you have a good chance of being successful and happy in the end. 

Outside Cultural Event #3

          Last week I had to opportunity to go and visit the 2014 MFA Thesis Exhibition located on the first floor of the fine arts building. When I walked into the exhibition, I got this sense of something dark and gothic. There were projections all over the place of dark and creepy images that at first really threw me off. However, I stayed there and continued throughout the whole exhibition. To me it seemed like the theme was gothic and dark until I got to the section with the plates. One wall in the exhibition was covered in plates from what appeared to be a “gothic lunch”. These plates were colorfully painted and had a bunch of different phrases or sayings written on them. They intrigued me and I enjoyed looking at them and reading all of them.

         When I finished walking around the exhibition, I was puzzled with what it was about and what the theme of it was so I decided to ask someone who was working there. Her response was something along the lines of “Is there a theme? Sometimes you just have to look and try to find something deeper than what is on the surface”. At first this bothered me because it made me feel awkward and like it was unusual that I did not understand, but looking back I am kind of glad that she said what she did. It made me realize that everything is not always tied together and placed under a common theme, especially with art. Overall I am glad that I went out of my way to attend this event because it is not something that I would usually do. It was quite the experience and if presented the opportunity I would definitely attend something similar to this again.

My Greatest Achievement

Leo Mercer

My greatest achievement

Word Count: 359

As I step up to the block I can’t help but think to myself: “have I done enough?” Before any big swim meet I can’t help but have this thought rush through my head. All of the grueling practices, dry lands, and lifting weights have prepared me for this moment and I can’t help but think “have I done enough?”

I was a senior in high school so it was my last year on the varsity swim team and I wanted to do something special. Every year there is a meet called METROS where every high school in Montgomery County comes together to compete. This meet is a pretty big deal for and since it was my senior year I wanted to do something special. My training was going great until the end of September when I encountered a huge set back and caught mono.

When I had mono the doctor told me that I couldn’t swim, exercise, or workout for fear of rupturing my spleen. I was devastated. I knew that if I wanted to perform well at METROS that I had to train as hard as I could. By the time my mono was gone, I had not been exercising for two and a half months. Now I only had about two months to prepare for this meet and get myself back into competition shape. Instead of looking at it as a problem however, I took it as a challenge and came back with a vengeance.

Those two months were the most intense months of training of my high school career. I went to every practice, dry lands, weight room, and even something extra here and there. I was determined and driven. When it came to METROS I still thought to myself though “was it enough?” It turns out it was. This meet was the best meet of my swimming career. I dropped time in every event and even qualified for a swim meet that took me to Orlando Florida to compete. This meet was really impactful on my swimming career and has given me a whole new level of confidence in myself and in my training.

The point: if you put in the work it will be possible for you to achieve your goals

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

All my life I have constantly heard the expression “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. Growing up, I took this expression literally and thought it was only about books, but as I got older I realized that it pertains to a whole lot more than just books. I have always “judged books by their covers” whether it is books, foods, movies, and even people. It was not until I went on a retreat my junior year of high school that I realized how important that expression is.

            This retreat that I went on was a retreat about finding yourself, getting big things in your life off of your chest, and trying to become a new, better, and more understanding person. While on this retreat, I was around people who were not exactly my best friends. However, by the time I left, if I was not friends with them I at least had an understanding for that person and what they have been through. Being on this retreat made me realize that I have no idea what other people have gone through in their life and that I have no right to judge them.

            Because of this retreat, I have a new belief and perspective on life and have been more open to meeting people and less judgmental. Since the retreat, I have always gotten to know somebody before I make assumptions of who they are without knowing them. A quote that I heard while on this retreat that really enforced this new belief was: “Sometimes it’s the people with the biggest smiles that are the ones who are hurting the most”. It is retreats and quotes like these that have made me strong in my beliefs and trying to better myself in the way I treat people.

Belief: I believe that you should not judge a book by its cover and that you should really try things out before you form an opinion.

Word Count: 298

It's all about the sunglasses

          

          My favorite brand is Knockaround for their sunglasses. They’re the only sunglasses I own today, and I will stick with them for a while. This choice of brand says a lot about me. I’m not usually the type of person to pay for “the best” brands such as Oakley’s or Ray-Bans. Knockarounds have a look and style about them, and if you see someone wearing them it’s a good conversation starter. I like Knockarounds because they are simple, you don’t have to pay top dollar for the brand, and there’s room for you to be creative and express yourself.

Word Count: 100

Take your mark, go!

        Ever since I was little, swimming has always been there for me. I started swimming when I was five at my summer pool, Woodley Gardens, in my hometown Rockville Maryland. Whenever I am at a pool, competing with my team and friends, I feel like I can be myself and I am at home. Swimming has had a huge impact on who I am today, and how I live my life. It has made me competitive in the pool and in life. After all, life is just one big race so you just have to take your mark and go.

Word count: 100