High Fest 2014

OU

Best decision I ever made and the easiest way to describe everything is through this quote:

"OU may not be a school for the smartest kids, we may not have the best football team, and our basketball team may not always make us scream. People roll their eyes and say, "Oh, party school." And to that I say I'm proud. We party, we study, we spend money we don't have, our campus is beautiful, our hills keep us fit, our bricks keep us careful, our lack of excellence in sports keeps us humble, our small town keep us close, our bars keep us social and our friends make it feel like home."

Shout-out to Juls for making short video clips of some of our memories in Athens

August 2011- May 2015

FROSH // SOPH

JUNIOR

SENIOR

weekend in Jaipur

I was pumped to travel to another city in India, until we landed. The city is more rural than Mumbai, so it was definitely extra dirty with a funky stench.On a positive note, our hotel was beautiful. Their were murals on the walls, hand painted with the tiniest details.

Our group essentially took the whole top floor. Kingfisher Strong (cheap Indian beer) finally grew on me so the combination of that and some high quality Smirnoff Vodka, did me good. We all partied on the roof top then moved to the lower level to join the Indian dancers. My drunk self felt like I was really getting into the rhythm of the beat, but watching videos, tells my sober self different. Our beer run became eventful as three large cows were chilling in the street. I tried to pet one since they seemed to like me, but that was not wise. I need to keep in mind that they are not similar to puppies or any domestic pet for that matter. They just look like they would want to be petted. 

Negative effect from buying from a sketchy liquor is the quality of bottles. I had tiny shards of glass stabbing my hands. When I started to bleed, I freaked a little, causing me to drop my other mixed drink, and shattering that glass cup. The amount of things our group broke was easily over 10 items. Wearing Havanajs was dumb as broken glass left small gashes in my feet. Did not think it was a big deal until I realized how dirty everything was. I was just asking for an infection. Whatever, YOLO right?

AND the highlight of the trip goes to:

:):):):)

So happy I can cross that off my bucket list! I asked how much an elephant would cost and he said around 300,000 rupees which converts into about $4,700. Might need to make an investment down the road ;). However, I don't think they treat them that well. It's basically just a tourist attraction. I did get to pet her though.Her tiny black hairs felt like spikes, so insanely coarse. But she love it, as she rubbed her head into the wall like my dog does when I give her a rub down. 

At least I learned how to bargain a bit on this trip. The rule is to take 1/4 of the price and keep arguing until you walk away. Then you know you'll receive the lowest price. My friend got an elephant statue down from 750 to 100 rupees. Its an art that I need to master within the next two weeks. It was frustrating how the street vendors would not give up. It was either the light skin/ hair combo or the white group of 20 that clearly gave away we were tourist and a big target for $$$$. Rule of thumb, do not make eye contact or acknowledge their existence. Even a simple, "no, no thank you," will open the floor for negotiation.  

(The king would light a candle that reflected off these tiny mirrors to imitate the starry night sky for his queens) 

drinks n eats

[some of my favorites]

Teekha Peru: vodka, guava juice, and tabasco sauce

recommended for my cold/ sinus infection:

brandy, hot water, & cinnamon

my 2 favorite avocado and toast recipes:

 whole wheat toast, 2 poached eggs, smashed avocado, bacon, & red pepper flakes
--
chopped, hard boiled egg whites, red onion, cayenne pepper, & smashed avocado mixed together like guacamole spread across two slices of whole wheat, toasted sourdough 

Mom's eggplant rollitini recipe:

-remove skin and slice eggplant into half inch stripes

-salt eggplant and let slices "sweat" out water for 15 minutes

(layer slices of eggplant between paper towels to absorb excess water)

-dip into eggs then in breadcrumb mix (Italian breadcrumbs, parmesan, & oregano)

-once olive oil and butter is warmed up, fry eggplant, both sides until crispy brown

-then layer ricotta cheese, prosciutto, and provolone or mozzarella cheese (not displayed in bottom left pic)   

-roll

-once cooking tray is filled, pour marinara sauce (preferably Cleveland's Little Italy sauce) all over, then top off with a layer of mozzarella cheese

-cook until cheese is bubbling/ turning light brown at 350 degrees (usually 20 minutes)

I felt like I was going to become this all-star juicer after buying a juice machine, but 1. it makes a big mess and 2. it was time consuming finding juice recipes I liked. So I found Evolution at Starbucks and I really have been enjoying it. I hope I find other brands I like before I get sick of the flavors "Super Green" and "Sweet Green" Feel free to recommend anything, I'm not shy to try anything new!!

India

INDIA

I recently got a position at an IT Consulting firm. The on-boarding entails travel around the states with a few weeks in India. I have witnessed poverty throughout Eastern Europe, but nothing compares to a 3rd world country. A man ran across the street today with a dirty, ripped shirt saying, "Before you judge me, make sure you are perfect."  That altered my initial perspective on how I viewed others in this country.

So here are some of my experiences:

*Renaissance Mumbai*

• Men pee everywhere, and let me emphasis on that, these aren't 6 year old boys, but ages starting at 45+. They will pullover on the highway or street and just do their business in the open (at least they face the opposite direction). 

• Cows just chill everywhere. They will casually take up a lane or two. People just dodge them and the rickshaws squeeze through any possible inch available. 

• The Indian motto "guests are gods" ( in Hindi: Atithi dēvatā haiṁ) is definitely lived up to. I feel like royalty with this treatment. My day is 10x better as they greet me with Namaste and a warm smile. They are so cute. It is the best hospitality in the world.

• I was advised to stay away from street food, but I'm not going to lie, it was tempting. However, after speaking to my Indian friend, she advised me not to go near it. She explain that she avoids it especially during the Monsoon season. The rain collects all the pollution and in turns falls all over the food. 

The Gateway of India:

Where my blonde hair, blue eyes, and light skin attract every Indian. I was just handed children. Their parents would do the Indian head bobble (yes and no head motion weave), and smile which implied to take a picture with their kid. After about 30+ photos we had to escape the commotion. So the 20 of us got our own boat & headed across the dirty lake to Elephant Island.

Elephant Island:

This tiny island is filled with trash, stray dogs, and cows (+ the psycho monkeys). If you did not have a tight hold on your belongings, it was snatched instantaneously. My friend bought a bag of chips and put them in his pocket. A few seconds later he felt a tiny hand reaching for them. These monkeys are little thieves. Now, I love dogs. Whenever a scene in a movie shows a situation where the dog or human needs to be saved, I vote for the dog every time. However, these stray dogs were nasty. They were gimping around, just begging for food. I didn't even want to look at them. And I am certain they had rabies.

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The division of rich and poor is so drastic here, it is uncomfortable to see. There is a man in the petroleum industry who owns a 27 story building with 600 servants. The first four levels are just for his cars. It is mind boggling to comprehend. Driving to and from work you see the slums on the muddy hills and the penthouses on top of buildings facing the lake. Ground level looking up to the 5 story penthouses is basically night and day. The streets are trash. Literally there are just piles of trash with dogs rummaging through it. The slums are aluminum sheets held up with sticks tied together. Blue tarps are thrown over the roofs. Rocks are scattered on top of the tarps so the monsoon rain can flow off. 

@lysstroz

I have never been a writer. English classes were always a struggle as I can barely word my thoughts and put them into a cohesive sentence. So bare with me as I spill my life in this "journal." This is a second attempt to document my experiences as I tried writing one last summer. I quickly realized the hand cramps weren't worth it. I know no one really has a care in the world what my annoying voice has to say, but I like to talk....a lot. I'm going to blab away on here so others will stop associating me as schizophrenic as I walk around talking to myself.