Kibera Mural

First and foremost, I am not an artistic person.

I don't believe in the whole "Left side/Right side" distinctions for people's standard mental dispositions, but nonetheless, math agrees with me far more often and more soundly than art does.

So when Chris Ewell (esteemed chair of Artsco), ran up to me in an incredibly goofy manner, shoving a crumpled permission slip in my face and sputtering out the words "CometoKibera, muralokay?", and then dashed off with an exit as mysterious as his entrance, I was nonplussed but generally unperturbed. But somehow I ended up in Kibera that Saturday, the 3rd of September, helping to paint a huge mural, with no idea of my purpose on the trip. Over the next three hours though, I learned something fundamental about art. You don't need to be good. You just need to have fun. And once you do, it's meaningful for you, and those around you. So what if my big blue "S" looked more like a severed cat's tail dipped in blueberry sauce? Perhaps instead of being worried about my inadequacy in artistic endeavors, I should be concerned about my strangely violent, discomforting use of similes.

It was hard work. The sun was relentless that day. The stifling smell of paint wouldn't leave my nostrils until 4 hours and 3 showers later. But when I look at that mural we did, I feel so proud. It was beauty, and teamwork, and tons of fun. Who would have known?

New/Old

It's a new year! And with this year, comes an abundant range of opportunities. It's time for new goals, new standards, new methods, and yes, new mistakes. As the beloved scientist Albert Einstein once said, "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new". Yet, we must still try to find the balance between new and old. Continuing with the previous line of obnoxious, only semi-relevant, quote-dropping, consider this witty statement from Sir Winston Churchill: "Do not let spacious plans for a new world divert your energies from saving what is left of the old." So it seems that during this school year we must strive to attain the perfect equilibrium between innovation and sustainability, between continued thoughts and mold-breaking ideas.
Although I may be taking this train of thought into a slightly less majestic realm, this is one of the most important things that I am keeping in mind about my CAS activities this year. I should be committed to the projects from before, but open to trying new things. This is why I'm continuing in Students for the Environment for the fourth year in a row (Only this time as co-chair!), but also testing out Flight Club (as an amateur aviation enthusiast). I'm staying dedicated to NHS and the Associated Student Body, but also serving as Stage Manager for the play Macbeth (the domain of theater is one I have steered away from for far too long).
It's an exciting year with exciting possibilities. And I will end the exciting first post of the exciting year here, as I am dangerously close to a critical limit of cliches. Be yourself! Take risks! Follow your heart! There is no spoon!