el Pedregal~~Adventure of the day*

I've been feeling dizzy as of late, but today was a lil bit extra. i dont know if its jus that ive been weak, not enough energy; but i figured the best way to cure it is take a road trip and see something new. freshen up my eyes. maybe all it takes is just a ride on over to a whole new experience. it was a probably a bad idea to be driving when i wasn't feeling that great but i came back home, more relaxed than i have ever been.


the afternoon started with me picking up one of my best bati's (brown in color), and a green khaki jacket to wear on top, and add a simple brownish, green hijab. my mood had already improved. i didn't know where to head to after i had gotten into the car, so i remembered that i had been totally craving some ice cream and told my friend that i would go try ben n jerry's. i knew the drive was a bit far from home, but i had gas filled n energy to pick up. destination: ✓ ; time: 2 hours back and forth. ive done this before- going to a random place, so this shouldnnt be as bad, seeing that this time- my phone would actually work, if i had gotten lost.

On the road: the sun was out, but there were clouds and the most nicest breeze ever. its been a long time coming since last fall. i also realized that fall would probably be my most favorite season, if we actually had more than a few days of it here in AZ. during my journey i saw soo many cacti that i had never before seen in my entire life. the streets were lined with them and dessert trees and boulders. 

i had actually never seen the dessert in this light- i was starting to think, arizona has some beauty after all. soo i finally get to the location of ben n jerry's after an hour of having my hand out the window, trying to grasp the cool wind, and singing to my fav tunes on my ipod. Ben n Jerry's was in this plaza named el pedregal. never even knew this place existed. but it happened to be in a quiet, but pretty neighborhood. there was shopping boutiques, restaurants, and even 2 galleries.

there were also statues/sculptures everywhere and around every corner. i was intrigued and giddy to find more. 

i then walk on over to ben n jerry's and order the ny super fudge chunk ice cream. too much chocolate but it was delicious. i decided to get a pint to make it last, since i totally wont be driving out here on a daily basis. :) i then see this "out of africa" gallery. WHAT??!! we actually have an african gallery here? Yes!!! although, i wasnt able to spend as much time as i wouldve liked there, because i was trying to get back home before sunset. i did get to see some beautiful sculptures, and paintings, and jewelry. *noted: definitely coming back here. all in all, the day was beautiful; i was able to clear my mind; discover a new part of AZ; enjoy the scenery and the weather; get my ice cream; and come back home relaxed and in one piece. I'm soo gonna do this more often in the short time i have left in this state. 

Next destination: Musical Instrument Museum.

*Next time definitely making sure to not forget my camera.

Bystanders to Genocide~an excerpt*

      Assistant Secretary Moose was away from Washington, so Prudence Bushnell, the acting assistant secretary, was made the director of the task force that managed the Rwanda evacuation. Her focus, like Rawson's, was on the fate of U.S. citizens. "I felt very strongly that my first obligation was to the Americans," she recalls. "I was sorry about the Rwandans, of course, but my job was to get our folks out ... Then again, people didn't know that it was a genocide. What I was told was 'Look, Pru, these people do this from time to time.' We thought we'd be right back."

      At a State Department press conference on April 8 Bushnell made an appearance and spoke gravely about the mounting violence in Rwanda and the status of Americans there. After she left the podium, Michael McCurry, the department spokesman, took her place and criticized foreign governments for preventing the screening of the Steven Spielberg film Schindler's List. "This film movingly portrays ... the twentieth century's most horrible catastrophe," he said. "And it shows that even in the midst of genocide, one individual can make a difference." No one made any connection between Bushnell's remarks and McCurry's. Neither journalists nor officials in the United States were focused on the Tutsi.

      On April 9 and 10, in five different convoys, Ambassador Rawson and 250 Americans were evacuated from Kigali and other points. "When we left, the cars were stopped and searched," Rawson says. "It would have been impossible to get Tutsi through." All told, thirty-five local employees of the embassy were killed in the genocide.

      Warren Christopher appeared on the NBC news program Meet the Press the morning the evacuation was completed. "In the great tradition, the ambassador was in the last car," Christopher said proudly. "So that evacuation has gone very well." Christopher stressed that although U.S. Marines had been dispatched to Burundi, there were no plans to send them

      into Rwanda to restore order: they were in the region as a safety net, in case they were needed to assist in the evacuation. "It's always a sad moment when the Americans have to leave," he said, "but it was the prudent thing to do." The Republican Senate minority leader, Bob Dole, a spirited defender of Bosnia's besieged Muslims at the time, agreed. "I don't think we have any national interest there," Dole said on April 10. "The Americans are out and as far as I'm concerned, in Rwanda, that ought to be the end of it."

Us-ism.

Selfishness extended to the person closest to you....

Us-ism!

Culture.

It must certainly be admitted that man always exists in a particular culture, but it must also be admitted that man is not exhaustively defined by the same culture....The very progress of cultures demonstrates that there is something in man which transcends those cultures. This "something" is precisely Human nature: this nature is itself the measure of culture and the condition ensuring that man does not become the prisoner of any of  his cultures, but asserts his personal dignity by living in accordance with the profound truth of his being.

Levanta!!! Levanta....

Levanta que no es tarde y no es vano... Levanta la mañana con tus manos... Levanta si tu gente está cayendo!

Atiende me! si me caigo, levanto otra vez (Siempre)!! Siempre!! 

~~ah how sometimes spanish speaks so much better to me than plain ole english!

-Rise up, its not too late and not in vain... Rise up the morning with your hands... Rise up your people if they are falling!

-Attend to me! if i fall, i will rise up once again. (Always)!! Always!!

Pride, Experience, Reason, vs. Heart

"It's impossible." said pride. "It's risky." said experience. "It's pointless." said reason. "Give it a try." whispered the heart.

Of Wars..

Old men send young men to war.

I hate it when they say, "He gave his life for his country." Nobody gives their life for anything. We steal the lives of these kids. We take it away from them. They don't die for the honor and glory of their country. We kill them.