Author Archives: Alejandra Blanco

Puppies are Basically Heroes

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I attended the Pet-A-Puppy event, where I got to play and pet puppies and dogs who were also service dogs. Of course, how could I resist an event with puppies?

It had been a rough day, and being able to hug those furry little angels was such a great stress reliever. I don’t know how or why, but there really is something so therapeutic about dogs and their touch. I understand why they are used in therapy. The dogs, to my surprise, were completely calm around the storm of people that walked into the room that day. I found out that service dogs have to be massaged and constantly touched by humans in the early phase of their lives in order to accustom them to being around humans. I found it incredible how well behaved these dogs were – so intelligent! While getting to play with these adorable creatures, I also got to understand more about the process of training dogs for guidance. I learned that it takes years to prepare a dog for providing guidance to humans. Also, the costs of training, feeding, medical costs total to about $30,000 per dog.

I found this astonishing. I usually see service dogs walking around with their owners and I do not think anything of it, much less appreciate or contemplate the amount of time and effort both on behalf of the dogs and their trainers. The dogs who make the cut to be service dogs have to meet certain standards and criteria, and they work hard to do so. I now have a new found respect for these dogs, being them is not easy. They have to ignore their own animal instincts and follow what they were trained to do in sometimes very stressful situations. The dogs that do not meet the criteria are adopted into loving homes, so that definitely helped me comforted for the dogs that could not. Overall this service dog agency has had 60,000 dogs go through their program. It is truly amazing, the work that is put forth for people to have service dogs.

You’re not like the rest of them: Implicit Prejudice and Microaggression

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I attended a very interesting dinner conversation with Dr. Ariela Keysar to speak about generalizations and their toxic reach, enabling prejudice and maintaining its livelihood. To converse about this issue that we all go through one way or another, truly did “stir up the pot” so to speak, and brought to the surface so many inquisitions and concerns that I myself have housed throughout the years.

We started off by going around the room and sharing a moment in our lives in which we feel that others have said or done prejudiced things to us, through generalizations. To see almost everyone share a story pertaining to their background, race, or gender, was eye-opening. It is incredible how unaware we are of the universality of prejudice. A lot of times we feel alone in this struggle, we feel like we are the only ones going through this. A great contributor to this sentiment is the fact that we tend to internalize these feelings of being prejudiced against, these microaggressions.  It was, in a way, therapeutic to come out into the open and express the pain and discrimination that we had felt because of someone else’s comments.

I also began to think, ok, so we’ve discussed it, we know how it makes us feel. So what? What now? What do we do about this?  What are the steps that we can take in order to eliminate prejudice? We discussed this, and we came to the conclusion that the majority of people who commit microaggression are not aware that they are doing so. The most effective and strategic way to combat prejudice, we decided, was through education and interaction with different groups. We did however talk about the difficulty of opening people’s minds when they are part of that slim portion of people who actively, consciously harbor prejudice against specific groups.

This got me to think, there will always be those people whom we cannot convince. No matter how much time and effort we invest in educating these types of people, they are set in their ways. And these types of people will always exist. I wondered (and still do), will there ever be a world without prejudice? Or is it human nature to harbor prejudice? Is prejudice just a natural, yet toxic byproduct of our categorizing and organizing information in the world to make sense of things? I am sure that we can all attest to having been prejudiced, whether consciously or not, about another group, whether it be out of sheer ignorance, out of lack of understanding, emotions against a certain individual, etc. If we ourselves have fallen victims to prejudice, then is it eradicable?

Gimme More Coffee, but only Organic

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I thought I knew about coffee. Yeah, it comes from a plant and then it’s roasted. Not rocket science. Definitely not interesting. That is, because I didn’t really know anything about coffee. I had no clue about how it was really made. I had no clue where the coffee that I drank came from. Until this event (which was really educational considering the tasty samples the Gimme Coffee speakers brought).

The process was amazing- it all starts with collecting the coffee from a small farmer in Colombia. I had no clue that this company focused on providing only organic coffee. This farmer took much care to make sure that his coffee was hand picked for the best flavor while still being organic. Then there was a procedure to prepare the coffee from consumption.

Here at Cornell, I drink the Hazelnut and French Vanilla flavors. Little did I know that these flavors were completely artificial and usually consisted of a much lower quality of coffee – usually not Arabica coffee. At Gimme Coffee, their coffee is 100% Arabica. There were so many natural flavors embedded in each coffee sample – choclatey and berry were my favorite. These flavors were conceived naturally by letting the plant ferment with the fruit for a longer period of time.

From now on I have a new appreciation for coffee – it is not easy to come across some quality coffee. It seems that Gimme Coffee knows just how to do that.

A Night at a Piano Concert

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Emmanuel Ax is a world renowned pianist. I had the opportunity to attend his concert, something I never would have thought of doing. I know nothing about piano, or about music, for that matter. When he would finish a piece, I never knew when to clap; I simply followed everyone else.

Despite my lack of musical knowledge, throughout the concert, there was a certain universal feeling that could penetrate even the hearts of the musically illiterate. I remember feeling an array of emotions, and as each key was struck, it transported me to another state. I closed my eyes, and envisioned beautiful images. It was truly beautiful how the music and my mind were synced, bringing to my mind beautiful, deep thoughts and images.

The time passed so quickly, I did not even think about time. All that I know was that classical piano music is truly a form of art, a form of art that anybody has the capability of enjoying, not just those with an ear for music. The end was simply beautiful, as I could see the joy in the artist’s face as he bowed, and the crowd cheered on, in a standing ovation.

This was a very nice event, truly joyous and relaxing, and it has ignited my interest for classical music. I will most definitely be on the lookout for future concerts like this one.

 

 

 

 

The Beauty in Street Art

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When I first heard the words “street art”, immediately my head was filled with many negative connotations, of the vandalism and irresponsibility of rebellious artists. Bear in mind that this was not my personal stance, as I personally viewed some of the murals that I had seen in urban cities as pieces of art. Nevertheless, some graffiti did remind the public about violence and gangs.

Upon arriving to the parking lot in Collegetown, and seeing the murals on the parking lot walls, I was amazed by how beautiful and meaningful the paintings were. The guide told us about the backstory for each mural, and it was so interesting hearing the significance of each painting. For example, there was a mural of a worried face with the question of, “do we still have time?”. This mural just transmitted so many emotions, emotions of despair and regret through the eyes of the person. It really strikes me as an image that makes people aware of the impact that each of them have on this Earth. The guide let us know that this mural was painted by fourth graders, with the help of adults. That to me was so impressive, how they could paint with such precision, and how deep it was.

We saw many other parts of the commons that had been painted, countless electrical boxes, and signs. They all made me think of one thing: how some touches of color here and there can really add to the spirit and the livelihood of a city. As the guide was telling us, he works on a board to get artists to come and paint on walls around the city. To me, this fostering of street art really and truly allows for street art to take its best form, as something of which artists can feel proud, not like they have to do it at three in the morning against the law.  It is truly a window for self-expression, and tells a story that can be enjoyed by any passerby. IMG_1238 (1)

Self-care Workshop

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This was truly one of the funnest events that I have participated in so far for the Flora Rose Scholars Program. We received much helpful information regarding the many resources that we have on campus for keeping ourselves in the best shape and condition possible. If ever there is a need to talk to someone, there is always an ear available.

After the brief presentation on all of the resources at our disposal, we each received a pumpkin and a carving packet. I have carved small pumpkins, but never a ten-pounder. It was very fun, and it really did help bring me to a more relaxed state, as my mind drifted away from all of my pressures. I got to learn more about the people who live in Flora Rose, including the GRFs. I found my hands getting sticky and it was messy. I even carved the top of my pumpkin hole too small, so I had to carve a giant hole in the back to take out the inside.

This was truly a light, just enjoyable experience; I truly appreciated its simplicity. I think that a takeaway is in life, sometimes we get so wrapped up in our pressures and responsibilities that we forget to enjoy it for what it is. Taking a moment for ourselves is necessary in order to cope with the stresses of life.

Bringing Justice to War Crimes

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I attended this lecture last week, where we heard Professor Ohlins speak about war crimes and criminals: what they are and who they are. We started the discussion with the America’s recent “accidental” attack on a hospital to reach their target, in the process killing more than a dozen innocent people, both doctors and patients. Now, the question is whether the US should be held accountable. There are two ways to view this situation. In the first, one could say that it was justified in that the US was acting in the name of war, and that these were just casualties. However, others could say how these were innocent civilians and that the US should be held accountable for such a lack in accuracy in attacking.

I personally, was perplexed. I found myself thinking, aren’t casualties a normal thing in war? What separates this instance from the countless others? Then Professor Ohlins mentioned how there are certain rules by which war must abide. The ratio of civilians killed must be low. That to me got me thinking, when do we have the right to put the legitimacy of taking a life? People make such controversial statements about abortion and murders, yet simply accept casualties and just killing in war as a normal and possibly good thing. Sure, war may be in self defense or in the name of common good, but what about to those innocent mothers and children who suffered at war’s hands? How did they deserve that? How is this different from a typical murder? The bottom line remains the same, they both lost their lives forcefully. The value of life is so fickle, and it is truly interesting how one can value life in some circumstances and not in others. Perhaps the value of lives will always be dependent on circumstance, and perhaps it is the correct way to go about such a sensitive subject. Or perhaps, we are simply experiencing cognitive dissonance and trying to justify our hypocritical views when it comes to life and murder.

The Plantations – Pepper Party – Alejandra Blanco

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What drew me to this event was that it was an opportunity to go to the plantations. I knew little about peppers and to be honest it was not really that interesting to me considering I do not like spicy food. The walk to the plantations was fun, and I met some really nice people from the house. When I got there, I was taken aback because of all the good food that they had to offer. While I was skeptical at first, I realized that the spiciness varied; they had products and samples for every taste bud.

They had a trail of the different steps involved in the globalization of peppers throughout the world. The countries that first come to mind when thinking about peppers are Mexico and Japan. However, I was very shocked to find out that peppers only existed in South America until Europeans brought the peppers back to Europe, where they spread throughout Europe and into Africa and Asia. Mexico did not naturally have peppers, it was not until after the Spanish brought peppers to Mexico that it became a staple in their diet. We even saw some tiny pepper plants, and it was interesting to know that birds act as nature’s seed spreader, because they do not have the ability to sense spiciness.

I liked a specific dip so much that I had to buy it. We even made little pepper shaped pinatas with gummy peppers inside. Although it rained, it was really a fun experience that gave me a new appreciation for peppers. I do like peppers after all.