TALENT SHOW!

Today was tiring. It wasn't because I didn't get sleep or the class was difficult or draining. The class was far from that, it was actually relaxing and very interesting because we had a guest speaker come talk to us about responses to mass atrocities and we went over future assignments. When class ended I went with my friends Javaria, Pooja and Sultana to an Indian buffet and ate A LOT. After that huge meal Javaria left us to make Islamic tiles then I, Sultana and I walked in Cascadilla gorge made it to the commons and walked into Fall Creek Gorge. The walk was long and tiring, but worth it. We were all planning on going to the talent show that was happening, but before we went Javaria and I went to the weekly outdoor concert that features cool bands and dancing families. The talent show itself was amazing and everyone was amazing.  Today was jam packed, but fantastic

\

Class was great because we had a guest speaker named Muna Ndulo come talk to us about how countries respond to mass atrocity. He went into many different ways countries often respond and their different responses. We talked about tribunals and their flaws such as the enormous cost and how they only prosecute prominent figures and not the thousands of other small actors who also partook in the atrocity. The thing that Muna Ndulo said that struck me was when he explained how countries should address atrocity. He said that countries should not only focus on prosecuting the people who caused the atrocity, but they should worry about the legacy or aftermath of the tragedy such as unemployment or systemic racism. It struck me because I thought “How?” because I thought about all the huge and systemic problem atrocities can cause and I was wondering if that was too realistic? Most countries no matter how hard they try still feel the scars of their past atrocities. When Muna Ndulo finished we went over some assignments and then had early dismissal.

After class Sultana, Pooja, Javaria and I went to an Indian buffet. It was the same one Javaria and I went with Julia and it was the same, delicious. We ate a lot, I had three plates of curry and two deserts. After lunch we practically rolled out the door. We took some pictures in front of the Cornell University sign. Javaria went to make Islamic tiles and left Pooja, Sultana and I to walk in the gorge. And, yes it was the same gorge that Javaria, Julia and I walked in, but the difference is Pooja, Sultana and I walked through the entire thing. I was gorges as always. The waterfalls were stunning, the creek was rushing and the trees provided the perfect backdrop.

When we walked through the gorge we made it to downtown Ithaca and eventually the Commons. One of these days I am going to the Commons for more the ten minutes and I am actually going to shop there. We didn’t spend a lot of time at the Commons and instead walked to another gorge. We walked uphill the entire way. It got super muggy and started to rain a little and Sultana and I were following the guidance of Pooja. Let’s just say Sultana and I complained A LOT, nearly the whole way. When we got to the right trail, we had to walk down a massive number of stairs. But it was worth because we had a perfect view of a massive waterfall and had a striking view straight up at the suspension bridge. It was beautiful because of the sheer rock walls that jutted out straight from the creek. I thought it was all worth, but it was tiring so we walked back up the massive number of steps and walked to our respective dorm rooms.  

After I showered and did a little class work I met up with Javaria and we went to the outdoor concert that happens every Friday. It is great as usual because there are bright and fun songs, cute old couples dancing their hearts out, there were little kids running around with balloons and dancing with their parents. And the band that was playing was basically playing my mom’s playlist (with songs like “Oye Como Va” and Son of a Preacher Man”) I was raised on songs like that so the whole thing was a nostalgic throwback. My only regret was that I didn’t get the free cake that they were serving because I was really comfortable.

From there we met up with Sultana and Pooja to the talent show. The talent show was jam-packed with people and absolutely amazing. There were amazing singers, awesome dancers and people who played the piano better than I ever could. Sultana and I were so taken aback by some of the talent that we were almost moved to tears. But the huge stand out was a kid that displayed his martial arts talent. He had a lot of energy and was absolutely committing to his performance. He was punching and kicking the air while “Eye of the Tiger” was playing. It was the best performance by far in my opinion. When the talent show was done Sultana, Javaria, Pooja and I went outside, played music and just danced. It was fun because we didn’t care how we looked we just danced and played some admittedly dumb and cheesy music. But who cares? It was fun!