Project AIDS

On Friday, I participated in an AMSA (American Medical Students Association) event with the Project AIDS committee. We went to the CALLS center in Portsmouth, which is a non-profit community center dedicated to providing tutoring and somewhat of an education to teenagers who had dropped out or were kicked out of their local schools for various reasons. We put on an educational play centered around possible ways to contract HIV, and then we had a Q&A session with the teenagers. It was a really good experience for myself because while I've worked with children and the elderly, I've never actually done anything with teenagers. I kind of forgot how troublesome and sometimes uncooperative teenagers can be.

It was quite interesting to be teaching them about HIV, STD's, and practicing safer sex. It seems like they know a pretty good amount, however I was a little perturbed by some of the bizarre sex questions they were asking. I won't repeat any here, but let's just say that our discussion lost its focus and strayed towards the topic of sex, rather than the initial topic at hand. Regardless, I think we got all of our important messages across, and I hope the teens learned and gained something in return. It's sad to hear that some of these teens don't even know basic math nor how to read because they stopped going to school a long time ago, so hopefully all the contributions Ross students have been providing them (with tutoring and events like these) are helping these kids live better lives.

Next Saturday, I'll be visiting the elderly home in Portsmouth, like what I did last semester when we just entertained the old folks who no longer have family left to take care of them. I really do wish I volunteered more in the community in previous semesters, but I'm glad I'm finally contributing more of my time this semester!

Karla&Jonathan's SYTYCD Week 2 Performance

Here's Karla&Jonathan's AMAZING contemporary piece last night. It was choreographed by Stacey Tookey from SYTYCD Canada, and they danced to the song, "Falling Slowly," by The Frames. It always helps to have a great song to dance to. However, regardless of the great music choice, Karla and Jonathan danced BEAUTIFULLY. I take these reality talent shows quite seriously, so I really do try to hold no bias. And with no bias, I firmly believe that these two were probably the best of last night. The choreography, music, dancing, technique, and emotion were all there. Karla's fluidity and lines were flawless, and Jonathan surprised everyone with his ability to hold his own in this number. It was a moving performance, and I think definitely one that will be among the memorable of Season 5.

So with that said, the results show is in a couple of hours, and I REALLY hope Karla&Jonathan are not in the bottom 3 again because they had quite the performance last night.

Batibou Beach

On Saturday, I joined the Korean Students Association's field trip to Batibou Beach. I think there were only 3 Korean students there, with the rest of the crew consisting of other random people, including myself. Batibou Beach is on the north side of the island, halfway between our campus and the airport. Unfortunately, I got very carsick on the way there. So carsick that my legs were shaking as I was getting off the bus. It was rather unpleasant, but I recovered during the 20 minute hike down to the actual beach. Yeah, this beach is so isolated that we have to hike down, and you don't actually see it until you get down there. It's pretty cool.


This is one of the few beaches on the island that has actual sand as opposed to rocks/pebbles/shells. Not only that, but it's also a rather large beach with lots of open space. AND we were the only ones there, which made it even nicer. Actually, there was a random white naked guy reading almost in the bushes, but he wasn't situated that close to us.

One interesting thing of note is that scene(s) from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest were filmed right on that beach. I still have yet to watch all three movies. I really should since they were filmed here. Anyways, I'm really glad I took the morning off to enjoy a real beach in Dominica. It was beautiful, and I'm not sure how often I'll get an entire beach to myself for free!

Coming back from hiatus and other things

As many of you already know, one of my really good friends from college, Karla Garcia, is in the Top 20 of So You Think You Can Dance! Above is her first performance on the SYTYCD stage with her partner, Jonathan, doing the cha-cha. It was hot, so check it out if you missed it last night! This is very exciting for those of us who are friends with her. While I never got a chance to see her when she was in Hot Feet, Wicked, or the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular, I watched a few of her Tisch recitals and another show she part of in NY in the past, and all I can say is that not only has she grown tremendously as a dancer since she started college, but she's absolutely beautiful and amazing on stage.

I know I've really sucked at blogging. 2nd year got crazy pretty quickly. I had my first exam on Monday, and while it was a hard one that I felt unprepared for, I did better than I thought, so hopefully it only gets better from here.

Anyways, tonight is the results show for SYTYCD, so tune in if you can!