Third culture kid. March 31, 2008

Third culture kid. A term used to define a person that grows up in a lifestyle with two different cultures. This term is one that Timothy (Tim) Smith knows extremely well.

It was just another Saturday night in my sorority house when I met Tim. I knew that we had four gentlemen visiting (or should I say escaping) from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. All fraternity men. All good looking. All ready to explode with the pressure of being a tech geek, except for Tim. He was cool, calm, and ready for an adventure.

Being the journalist that I am I questioned Tim immediately. Who was this person that stood out more than the messy room I was sitting in.

Timothy Smith. A twenty-year old who was born in America, but has spent most of his time in India.

“My mother is from England and my dad is from Texas. My dad went to school to do something with agriculture and my mom wanted to be a nurse. My mom went to India to practice and my dad went to India to help with farming.”

He said this story like this happens all the time with people. For me, my eyes were wide. This was amazing that people actually did something different with their life and didn’t just live in a bubble.

“My father ended up getting hurt and went to a local hospital in India and my mother cared for him. That is how they met.”

While his family has a strong passion for India, it is not their home.

“My home is in Virginia. As much as I love and wish India were my home, it’s not. India is where I spend time with my friends and where I attended high school.”

How does a kid who likes mechanical engineering, his fraternity Phi Sigma Kappa, and butterscotch pecan ice cream adjust to living in America and in India? This question is one I pondered for so long as he told me stories about seeing elephants, playing croquet, and eating exotic Thai food.

“Sometimes it’s hard to adjust. It’s not very easy mentally, but I’m aware of what to look for when I walked into different cultures. I know what is acceptable and what is not. It was really hard when I was in tenth grade. I came back from India to study in Kentucky. I had a hard time getting use to how America worked again.”

“I think it’s easier for me to adjust verses other people because of the way I was brought up. I’m not biased. I was raised Christian, but I taught to be excepting of other religions and cultures. My parents wanted me to make my own decisions.”

With so many valuable experiences, it is hard for an experienced person just to pick one. I also expected his answer to be something about climbing some crazy mountain or jumping off some cliff. It just seemed like his lifestyle. I was wrong.

“ There was this one time in ninth grade I took a mountaineering course. I didn’t know at the time, it was a basically an army boot camp. We had to get up at 4am to run and do push-ups. It was one of the experiences of my life. Halfway through I was almost going to leave and quit, but the principal of the school talked to me and said that I was going to get through it. And I did. I realized when something hard does pass it will feel that much better. It was life changing.”

It was hard to sit next to a person that has experienced so much in only twenty years. I tried to hold my mouth close, but it became too much of a chore.

“I think it is hard for my friends to relate to me just as hard as it is for me to relate to them. Not a very big roadblock. I feel when I’m telling stories I have to clarify more rather than when my friends tell stories. Maybe I just don’t tell stories that well.”

A day in the life. March 25, 2008

The day of love. Everyone slacks off because they believe that Valentine’s Day is an actually holiday. I wondered, are people really celebrating Saint Valentine or were they rewarding themselves on being with a significant other? I think for Mary it was just another day in the office and another day to bake cupcakes for her employees.

Mary didn’t have any plans for the day—no special breakfast, lunch, or flower arrangement. Her plans were to sit in front of her computer and work endless hours for Rider.

“I am having dinner with my mother tonight,” Mary said. “I’m looking forward to that.”

Her words didn’t fool anyone in the room. Her tone and body language said she was lonely. Maybe she was just too busy to care. But deep down, she wanted to spend the day with someone that would buy her flowers and make her dinner.

Valentine’s Day plans were placed on hold when Kathryn whimpered like dog for a bone, about going to class.

“Do I have to go to class,” Kathryn said. “Someone seriously needs to tell me why I should go to class.”

The room ignored her. A few minutes of silence passed then the dog cried again.

“I really want a cupcake,” Kathryn said. “I guess I can eat it. It will be my reward for going to class.”

The room still ignored her.

It was inevitable that someone was going to bring up what people were doing for Valentine’s Day—if it wasn’t already brought up so many times.

“Well I’m ditching my boyfriend,” Kathryn said. “I want to go out to Kat-man-du with the girls. Steve is mad, but I don’t care.”

Mary. Still sitting at her desk with her pink shirt on trying to spread the Valentine’s Day cheer. And this is after listening to Kathryn rant and having unhappy co-workers walk in and out of her office. Where was her reward for being so wonderful and patient?

The office was a flurry of activity. Workers were putting labels on mailings. Phone calls were being made. People were eating then complaining about eating. Just a typical day in the admission tour guide office.

“Who would like to type something for me?” Mary said.

Surprisingly, the room was silent like when Kathryn was talking. Out of the seven student workers that were in the office, no one said that they could help Mary. The same person who baked cupcakes to put a smile on someone’s face that loved and always looked forward to her fluffy, moist little cakes.

“Whoever types what I need finished will get to leave early,” Mary said.

Everyone hooted and raised their hands like she was giving a million dollars away. After passing the job on, she continued to pass along more tasks that would send people home.

The office became empty — just Mary and me. We didn’t say a word. I packed up my things to leave. I looked back at Mary and wished her a happy Valentine’s Day. She reciprocated with a smile and went back to work. As I walked out of the office, I glanced around the empty office. Mary finally got a reward. Quiet time to finish her work and look forward to her fun evening with her mother.

Crisis Communication & Then Some… March 10, 2008

I love crisis communication. My love for crisis communication started a year ago when I became president of my sorority. I realized that I loved the pressure and stress when there was a crisis in Greek life or my house. I enjoyed figuring the right way(s) to address my chapter and finding answers to all possible questions I thought people were going to ask. I wouldn’t say that I have a future career in crisis communication, but I enjoy studying it and practicing when I can.

I think I found a new passion to go along with my passion for leadership — writing. My feature writing class has been amazing! I enjoyed writing when I was taking writing for the media and persuasive writing classes, but then I had publicity methods. Well, that class made me hate writing. It also made me question a career in public relations. In my feature writing class I have a chance to write using my own style of writing — humorous, sarcastic, and descriptive. This class also helped me develop a love for the dash (–). The dash makes my heart melt. I think I’m going to add it to my about me section.

Dash count for this blog: 3

How To Dress Your Body Type & Not Become a Fashion Victim March 3, 2008

An iced latte from my favorite coffee shop on a crowded street corner in the center of Philadelphia is an ideal way to spend a hot summer day. I had the perfect accessory by my side, my dear friend Danielle. The chatter in the room may have been loud, but that didn’t stop our conversation on planning the rest of our fun-filled day in the city.
    Our day was off to great start until a woman with shoulders and hips wider than Broadway caught our glance. She wore skinny jeans and a tight top. Both articles of clothing looked like she needed scissors to remove the fabric off her body. A little bell rang and the fashion victim was now in our presence. Our enlarged, caffeinated eyes were focused on the woman who was in desperate need of fashion advice. And that advice is “dress your body type, lady.”
I began to look around and realize how many people actually didn’t know how to dress themselves. The number was astonishing. I would see women everyday wearing clothes that were too tight or not tight enough, shirts that emphasized all the wrong places on the body, and three inches of fabric that I am still trying to figure out if it is considered clothing.
For so long I have felt guilty for not sharing my knowledge of fashion and dressing properly. That’s about to change because I have the secrets to dressing well and it all starts with fruits. See, I like to relate different body types to various fruits such as: pears, oranges, strawberries, bananas, and pineapples. It sounds better to say my body is like a beautiful, decadent, appealing strawberry instead of “I’m big on top.” Women shouldn’t be ashamed by their body type. Women should be ashamed not dressing their body type to its fullest potential. Here is the breakdown of every body type and the proper way to dress it.

1. Pear

If you are the pear body type you have smaller shoulders and wider hips. This may seem like the worst body to the many women who are pear shaped. In fact, it really isn’t so bad. Women tend to wear tight pants (which only shows off the hips more) and a tighter top. A more form fitting top only proves the facts that you don’t have any shoulders. It is important to wear jeans that are not skin tight and a top that has bulky sleeves that give the illusion of a fuller shoulder area. You may also want to try chucky accessories. This will help focus the eye up instead of down. You should also never wear clunky shoes that will only make you look bigger on the bottom. Platforms are out and it is time to invest in a good pump.

2. Orange

Orange women tend to be big on top and on the bottom. Printed fabric should be kept to a minimum, especially stripes. Strips only make orange shaped women look wider. The key to this body type is to elongate the body so it doesn’t look wide all around. A boot cut jean, white T-shirt, and a blazer that sits at the waist would be a perfect outfit for orange women. The jacket that sits at the waist is another illusion–that you have a waist. To finish the outfit, try a sleek pointy pump and accessories.

3. Strawberry

I find that these are the women who don’t know how to dress at all. Strawberry women are wide on top and small on the bottom. I have noticed that most strawberry women wear tight top and tight jeans, which make them look very top heavy. The idea is to draw the eye down. Longer jackets, belts, and tops that are tucked in will trick the eye that there is a waist.

4. Bananas

Banana women are very slender. The best articles of clothing for these women are heavier fabrics and horizontal stripes. This gives the body depth instead of having tight clothes hugging a small frame.

5. Pineapple

Pineapple women have the hourglass body type or also known as the “perfect” body type. These women can wear whatever they would like to. This may sounds like a dream come true, but there are so many women that don’t dress to their potential. I suggest that pineapple women find a style of their own and really commit to it. Find the ideal colors, tops, bottoms, shoes, and accessories to wear that are suitable to her lifestyle.

    Whatever your style is–dress it up, not down. You now hold the secrets to looking fabulous and classy wherever you go. Pass along these helpful tips so the next time you have a latte, you can enjoy it.