Saturday, February 13, 2010
A Champion All Around: Super Bowl XLIV Champion is Gay Rights Advocate
Check out my newest blog post on LGBT Issues in Sport for the Blue Devils United Blog. It highlights the recent efforts of Scott Fujita, a linebacker for the New Orleans Saints, in the movement for gay rights.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Friday Jummah
As I mentioned in a previous post, Duke Chapel is currently sponsoring an exhibit called Families of Abraham. In conjunction with this photo display, Duke's Faith Council coordinated a number of events to facilitate interfaith experiences and dialogues. This past friday I attended Friday Jummah--the traditional Friday Muslim worship. I have quite a few friends here at school who are practicing Muslims and out of curiosity, I'd always wanted to go. Afterall, I'd never really been exposed to Muslim culture. Despite my interest, I didn't make it to Jummah until the other day. I guess, in part, despite the "open invitation to everyone" that so many campus groups at Duke proclaim, it can be intimidating to just show up without knowing anybody or it catering specifically to new-comers. So with this in mind and knowing that this week's was part of this coordinated effort I made it a priority to attend. In all, I had a really fabulous time and learned a ton.
I walked in around 12:45 and introduced myself to a number of people. My next-door neighbor was there and so was a kid who lived in my dorm last year. I helped several of the girls stuff "care packs" for the local homeless shelter--which is apparently weekly effort. Most weeks, I learned, they fill the bags with food items, but this week they were donating personal care items. It turns out that many Muslim Student Associations (MSAs) across the country do this as a service project each week.
I found two things about this initiative really interesting:
1) Duke doesn't seem to have a lot of regular service projects. Groups do food drives periodically or other one-time charitable acts, but with the exception of a Habitat for Humanity Club, I don't know of anyone else who does weekly service.
2) A lot of faith based groups (not just at Duke--but in general) give back to their immediate communities. That is, synagogues are involved with the local Jewish nursing home or Jewish Family Services. Or Christian groups go on missions. [As I write this, it occurs to me that there are many instances where a faith based group gathers for a local Race for the Cure or other such events.] But still, I was struck by the fact that Duke's MSA was giving to the local Durham community. This wasn't about religion. To bring politics into it, it wasn't a pro-Palestine/anti-Israel group. It was just about community. Humanity. And I thought that was beautiful.
While I was helping to put the bags together, some individuals made their way to the sheets on the ground (in worship, Muslims remove their shoes and are on a sheet or other type of mat). They were engaging in individual prayer before the group service began. When they finished, the community gathered on sheets. Though the genders were separated (without a formal structure; in this case the men sat in front of the women, but it was pointed out that that was arbitrary and the women often sit in front of the men) they (men with men and women with women) sat side-by-side very closely, which is part of their community worship traditions. I sat with them.
To begin the community worship the Imam delivered a sermon. Following the sermon, everyone rose to begin the prayers. There is no prayerbook, though, as everyone recites everything from memory. The prayers start by reciting the beginning of the Koran (which I learned is not in chronological order and therefore, the story of Abraham, Hagaar and Ishmael is not at the beginning like it is in the Torah/Old Testament). During worship there are ritual bows and other symbolic gestures. The one I found most inspiring was when they would put their thumbs by their ears with their palms up. In doing this they are symbolically casting off anything that is on their mind that is not related to Allah while they mentally do the same. They ended their prayers by whispering salaam over each shoulder. In this way they wished their neighbors peace in their lives.
After everyone was finished praying we gathered over pizza for a discussion about Muslim traditions and religious practices. Much of what I learned at this discussion is integrated into the above story. Needless to say, one woman raised a question about gender equity. During this conversation, I also learned the significance of Friday Jummah. I knew that practicing Muslims prayed five times a day. Most of these times are done individually. I did not know that Fridays, however, are a special community wide gathering for prayer. In fact, Jummah, just means "prayer." It also means something else, but I forget (I'll try to find out and post it).
The final thing I'll share is how one student approached the question "why?" The woman who asked about gender differences kept asking "why?" When the Imam did not answer her question as she would have liked she asked it again, putting even more emphasis on wanting to know "why" something was so. One student finally explained to her that the question "why" isn't a question that Muslims should ask, because they know the answer is always "it is Allah's will." He continued to say that that is not to say that Muslims do not question things. The questions they ask, however, are different. Instead of "why?" the question is "how do we know?" After this they should ask "what is the wisdom?" The essence of the questions boil down to "why," but I really liked the approach of these two questions more than the simple "why."
I walked in around 12:45 and introduced myself to a number of people. My next-door neighbor was there and so was a kid who lived in my dorm last year. I helped several of the girls stuff "care packs" for the local homeless shelter--which is apparently weekly effort. Most weeks, I learned, they fill the bags with food items, but this week they were donating personal care items. It turns out that many Muslim Student Associations (MSAs) across the country do this as a service project each week.
I found two things about this initiative really interesting:
1) Duke doesn't seem to have a lot of regular service projects. Groups do food drives periodically or other one-time charitable acts, but with the exception of a Habitat for Humanity Club, I don't know of anyone else who does weekly service.
2) A lot of faith based groups (not just at Duke--but in general) give back to their immediate communities. That is, synagogues are involved with the local Jewish nursing home or Jewish Family Services. Or Christian groups go on missions. [As I write this, it occurs to me that there are many instances where a faith based group gathers for a local Race for the Cure or other such events.] But still, I was struck by the fact that Duke's MSA was giving to the local Durham community. This wasn't about religion. To bring politics into it, it wasn't a pro-Palestine/anti-Israel group. It was just about community. Humanity. And I thought that was beautiful.
While I was helping to put the bags together, some individuals made their way to the sheets on the ground (in worship, Muslims remove their shoes and are on a sheet or other type of mat). They were engaging in individual prayer before the group service began. When they finished, the community gathered on sheets. Though the genders were separated (without a formal structure; in this case the men sat in front of the women, but it was pointed out that that was arbitrary and the women often sit in front of the men) they (men with men and women with women) sat side-by-side very closely, which is part of their community worship traditions. I sat with them.
To begin the community worship the Imam delivered a sermon. Following the sermon, everyone rose to begin the prayers. There is no prayerbook, though, as everyone recites everything from memory. The prayers start by reciting the beginning of the Koran (which I learned is not in chronological order and therefore, the story of Abraham, Hagaar and Ishmael is not at the beginning like it is in the Torah/Old Testament). During worship there are ritual bows and other symbolic gestures. The one I found most inspiring was when they would put their thumbs by their ears with their palms up. In doing this they are symbolically casting off anything that is on their mind that is not related to Allah while they mentally do the same. They ended their prayers by whispering salaam over each shoulder. In this way they wished their neighbors peace in their lives.
After everyone was finished praying we gathered over pizza for a discussion about Muslim traditions and religious practices. Much of what I learned at this discussion is integrated into the above story. Needless to say, one woman raised a question about gender equity. During this conversation, I also learned the significance of Friday Jummah. I knew that practicing Muslims prayed five times a day. Most of these times are done individually. I did not know that Fridays, however, are a special community wide gathering for prayer. In fact, Jummah, just means "prayer." It also means something else, but I forget (I'll try to find out and post it).
The final thing I'll share is how one student approached the question "why?" The woman who asked about gender differences kept asking "why?" When the Imam did not answer her question as she would have liked she asked it again, putting even more emphasis on wanting to know "why" something was so. One student finally explained to her that the question "why" isn't a question that Muslims should ask, because they know the answer is always "it is Allah's will." He continued to say that that is not to say that Muslims do not question things. The questions they ask, however, are different. Instead of "why?" the question is "how do we know?" After this they should ask "what is the wisdom?" The essence of the questions boil down to "why," but I really liked the approach of these two questions more than the simple "why."
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
LGBT Issues in Sport
Hey all,
I've started blogging for the Blue Devils United Blog called Our Lives. BDU is the campus undergraduate gay-straight alliance. I'm going to be writing on LGBT issues in sport at least every other Wednesday, but will likely supplement those posts with other things that come up as I have time.
My first column was published today. Take a read here. It's just an introduction to me and my column; nothing really profound (yet). Take a look and browse the rest of the site while you're at it. It's a great blog which is doing a lot to change campus culture and enhance the LGBT and ally community on campus. Leave a comment if you wish!
I'll be sure to alert you to more of my posts as the semester continues. Let me know if you read anything (an athlete's coming out story, something about homophobia in sport, something about overcoming homophobia in sport, a policy issue, etc) that might be of interest and I'll do my best to include it.
Together, let's strike out homophobia in sport.
I've started blogging for the Blue Devils United Blog called Our Lives. BDU is the campus undergraduate gay-straight alliance. I'm going to be writing on LGBT issues in sport at least every other Wednesday, but will likely supplement those posts with other things that come up as I have time.
My first column was published today. Take a read here. It's just an introduction to me and my column; nothing really profound (yet). Take a look and browse the rest of the site while you're at it. It's a great blog which is doing a lot to change campus culture and enhance the LGBT and ally community on campus. Leave a comment if you wish!
I'll be sure to alert you to more of my posts as the semester continues. Let me know if you read anything (an athlete's coming out story, something about homophobia in sport, something about overcoming homophobia in sport, a policy issue, etc) that might be of interest and I'll do my best to include it.
Together, let's strike out homophobia in sport.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
SNOWcapades!
Ryann (left) and me (right) doubling down a hill on a trash bag sled! (Photo by Michael McCreary)
I'll write sometime this week about my classes and the beginning of the semester. But for now, I just want to share my last 30 hours or so with you!
Starting last night and through this coming week Duke's Faith Council is sponsoring a series of events called Strange, Wonderful... & Here: How Families of Abraham Worship at Duke. The series coincides with a photo exhibit currently at Duke Chapel called Families of Abraham which (I think) shows various faith practices of Judaism, Christianity and Islam (get it? All the religions which stem from Abraham). The Faith Council has partnered with different religious groups on campus to host interfaith services. Since last night was Shabbat, a bunch of Jews and non-Jews a like gathered at the Freeman Center (our campus Hillel building) to experience Kabalat Shabbat (and ma'ariv) and a hearty Shabbat dinner. The attendance was great. My friend, Ryann, accompanied me to services and then we joined three other friends, Janet, Max and Michael, after services for dinner. Sometime in the middle of services it started snowing.
Post-dinner the five of us made it to the Duke-Florida State women's basketball game. Coming straight from dinner, we walked in about halfway through the first half and the score was 20-2; Duke was winning. The game itself was boring, but we managed to have a good time. Duke won, 73-43. Just as enjoyable as the game was the walk to Cameron with a Constutional Law professor from Northwestern. He needed directions and we were going to be going along the same path for a while. Following the game Ryann took a field-trip with me to the library on East Campus so I could return a movie and pick up a new one. A few hours later, I met up with Michael and some other friends, most of whom I lived with last year, who were having a get together. Our fun was interupted by a drunkenly-pulled fire alarm which exiled us from the warm comforts of a dorm to the snowy and cold quad.
That brings us to this morning. Ryann texted me to tell me that she and some friends in her dorm were making pancakes for breakfast! I went to join the festivities, contributed some cooking utensils and brewed real hot cocoa (you know, with Hershey's Cocoa). All together we had cheesy scrambled eggs, M&M pancakes (we didn't have any chocolate chips...but the vending machine sold M&Ms) and cocoa. Shortly after cleaning up the kitchen, Ryann, two of her dorm-mates and I met up with Michael to go play in the snow.
Making many stops along the way, we finally ended up at the Duke Gardens. Why the Duke Gardens and not just the main quad, you ask? Because the Gardens have perfect sledding hills! We brought trash bags with us and used them to slide down the hill in all sorts of combinations: solo sitting on the trash bag, solo front first, solo inside the trash bag, double sitting on the trash bag, double sitting in the trash bag...you name it! We made snow angels, threw clumps of snow and took lots of pictures. When our feet were finally frozen we decided enough was enough. We took our time making it back to the main part of campus and made a brief stop at the Lobby Shop (a mini grocery/convenience store in the student union) where we picked up 1/2 gallon of milk. We finally made it back to the dorms and made more "real" hot cocoa!
Now 3:30pm, we decided it was time for a snack, so we went to a venue on campus. We ate quickly so that we could make it to the 4:20 showing of Reefer Madness (get it, 420?). Reefer Madness, a 1930's video warning parents and youth about the serious dangers of marijuana, is now a musical satire of the original production.
In total, Durham got 5-8" of snow. For more pictures of the adventures, click here.
Monday, January 11, 2010
A First Semester Redux
I just arrived back on campus for 2nd semester which begins on Wednesday. I wouldn't blame you if you thought I didn't even have a 1st semester, since I didn't blog a single time. Sorry!! I guess one of my new year's resolution should be to try to post more. For now, though, I'm going to try to make up some lost ground by jumping on the "year/decade in review" trend.
If there was one word that could sum up my most recent August-December it would be: sleepless. If I had a few more words to budget, I'd also add: busy; stressful; challenging; good.
So, a few things to catch up and then we'll be on to 2nd semester.
Fall Redux
Classes: I took a full load last semester comprised of Spanish 1, a cultural anthropology seminar called Human Rights Activism, a graduate level ethics seminar on refugees and humanitarian aid and a course that was cross listed among several departments called The World Cup and World Politics. All of my classes were really engaging and they all seemed to connect/have a little bit of overlap at times, which was nice. My professors were AMAZING teachers and individuals. I've never had to work harder in my life, but the sleepless nights and stress were manageable (even if just a little bit) by the fact that I found the topics really interesting and overall just LOVED my classes.
For our final, instead of a more traditional paper or exam, my World Cup and World Politics professor assigned us to create a website based on some research we'd done earlier in the semester. You can check out my website, on Muslim women's soccer, here. Also, my profile has links to other posts I wrote last semester as a contributor to our class blog.
Crew: Many of you know that this past summer I spent a considerable amount of time weighing my options for the coming year. Part of this concluded in the decision to join the Duke Women's Rowing team. DWR is a varsity level sport at Duke and I compete on the "novice" team. The novice team is for anyone who has never rowed before--sort of like a team of all rookies and we mostly compete against other novice squads. This past semester I practiced four days a week and competed in two regattas. We traveled to the D.C. area for The Head of the Occoquan on Halloween weekend and a week later competed at The Head of the Hooch in Chattanooga, TN. This semester I will (for the most part) be practicing six days a week and competing in five or six different regattas (including once in south Jersey *cough*family*cough*). The biggest difference between our fall season and spring season is that in the fall our races are 5,000 meteres but in the spring they are only 2,000 meters. So far I've had a great experience--it's been fun getting to know my teammates and my coaches are really wonderful.
Living: At Duke, the freshman live on East Campus. As a sophomore, however, I have the privilege of living on West Campus. West Campus is the main part of Duke and living right on the main quad is really convenient. I'm literally a minute walk away from almost all of our food options and less than a five minute walk awak from our main academic quad. I'm roomming with the same girl I lived with last year and we're having a great time together. So far, after a year and a half together, we've found only one incompatibility: we like the room at different temperatures [I hope I'm not jynxing myself!]. Being my mom's daughter, I like the room much colder than she does.
Classes start Wednesday, so I'll check back soon after that!
If there was one word that could sum up my most recent August-December it would be: sleepless. If I had a few more words to budget, I'd also add: busy; stressful; challenging; good.
So, a few things to catch up and then we'll be on to 2nd semester.
Fall Redux
Classes: I took a full load last semester comprised of Spanish 1, a cultural anthropology seminar called Human Rights Activism, a graduate level ethics seminar on refugees and humanitarian aid and a course that was cross listed among several departments called The World Cup and World Politics. All of my classes were really engaging and they all seemed to connect/have a little bit of overlap at times, which was nice. My professors were AMAZING teachers and individuals. I've never had to work harder in my life, but the sleepless nights and stress were manageable (even if just a little bit) by the fact that I found the topics really interesting and overall just LOVED my classes.
For our final, instead of a more traditional paper or exam, my World Cup and World Politics professor assigned us to create a website based on some research we'd done earlier in the semester. You can check out my website, on Muslim women's soccer, here. Also, my profile has links to other posts I wrote last semester as a contributor to our class blog.
Crew: Many of you know that this past summer I spent a considerable amount of time weighing my options for the coming year. Part of this concluded in the decision to join the Duke Women's Rowing team. DWR is a varsity level sport at Duke and I compete on the "novice" team. The novice team is for anyone who has never rowed before--sort of like a team of all rookies and we mostly compete against other novice squads. This past semester I practiced four days a week and competed in two regattas. We traveled to the D.C. area for The Head of the Occoquan on Halloween weekend and a week later competed at The Head of the Hooch in Chattanooga, TN. This semester I will (for the most part) be practicing six days a week and competing in five or six different regattas (including once in south Jersey *cough*family*cough*). The biggest difference between our fall season and spring season is that in the fall our races are 5,000 meteres but in the spring they are only 2,000 meters. So far I've had a great experience--it's been fun getting to know my teammates and my coaches are really wonderful.
Living: At Duke, the freshman live on East Campus. As a sophomore, however, I have the privilege of living on West Campus. West Campus is the main part of Duke and living right on the main quad is really convenient. I'm literally a minute walk away from almost all of our food options and less than a five minute walk awak from our main academic quad. I'm roomming with the same girl I lived with last year and we're having a great time together. So far, after a year and a half together, we've found only one incompatibility: we like the room at different temperatures [I hope I'm not jynxing myself!]. Being my mom's daughter, I like the room much colder than she does.
Classes start Wednesday, so I'll check back soon after that!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Viewer Discretion is Advised
Yes Dad, I mean you ;)
Remember the "This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs" campaign?
Try: This is your brain on finals.
A little less gruesome, sure...but no less jumbled!!
Remember the "This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs" campaign?
Try: This is your brain on finals.
A little less gruesome, sure...but no less jumbled!!
Friday, April 24, 2009
End of the Year Shenanigans
So, apparently it's been a month since I've blogged. My apologies. I'll try to keep this brief, but there are a few developments in my life I should share.
The first weekend of April was Ultimate Frisbee Sectionals. We're in the "North Carolina" Section with 11 other teams. Fortunately, Elon hosted the tournament so we were able to stay at Duke and just drive in the mornings and back in the afternoons. I can't express how much of an advantage that is--especially where school work is concerned! We didn't start out so hot on our first day in pool play which put us in a tough situation for championship play. Ultimately (no pun intended!), we didn't qualify for regionals, which was disappointing. I did however have one spectacular diving catch :)
The first weekend of April was Ultimate Frisbee Sectionals. We're in the "North Carolina" Section with 11 other teams. Fortunately, Elon hosted the tournament so we were able to stay at Duke and just drive in the mornings and back in the afternoons. I can't express how much of an advantage that is--especially where school work is concerned! We didn't start out so hot on our first day in pool play which put us in a tough situation for championship play. Ultimately (no pun intended!), we didn't qualify for regionals, which was disappointing. I did however have one spectacular diving catch :)
The Team (above). The Freshmen (below).
Next up was Pesach in Philadelphia. I was lucky that my class schedule worked so well with travel. It's always good to see the fam. And lets be honest you really can't beat my Bubby's seder food!! My friend Sophie also joined us for Second Seder and Shabbat, and that was obviously a good time!
Because life wasn't dramatic enough with finals looming on the horizon and all, I spiced things up a bit by dislocating (we think) my finger. I know what you're thinking...but this wasn't some "college nightlife accident." No, it was a gorgeous North Carolina spring day and we were playing some football on the quad. I thought it was just a jam, so I kept playing before calling it a day. I then proceeded to take a nap, which is what I often unintentionally do with my life. Upon waking, I noticed that my finger was pretty swollen and hurting. My own personal orthopedic professional (aka, Pop Pop) recomended that I get an x-ray ASAP to rule out a break or a dislocation. I called Duke Police for a ride to the Duke ER and my friends Taylor and Elizabeth tagged along for the adventure. As it turns out, the x-ray was negative for anything traumatic and my finger continues to feel better every day.
Now here's a riddle for you...what do you get when you mix the vagina monologues and the Duke Women's Initiative and eliminate the vagina part? Since I know you won't guess correctly, here is the answer: Monologues by Duke women (undergrads, graduate students, faculty, staff, etc) about Ugg Boots, relationships with their moms, "i love you" horrors, coming out of the closet, boyfriends, disabled siblings, etc, performed and directed by Duke's female undergraduate students. Aptly titled "All of the Above" it seeks to shed light on the complexities of Duke students' identities and experiences. An incredibly inspiring and powerful program, it left everyone laughing hysterically and almost in tears, with goosebumps and a lot to think about.
Last night was the Duke Women's Basketball end of the year banquet. It was held in Cameron Indoor Stadium and began at 6:30pm. A welcome study break, about 350 staff members, family members, and fans were in attendance to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2008-2009 Blue Devils. Several awards were presented, Coach P gave a talk and the seniors all shared memories, made "shout outs" and left parting wisdom. You can leave it to Abby to make people cry!!
Practice players and managers at DWB Banquet.
Now, I have just 10 days left...and if I could pull a 240 hour-er...I would! I have three finals to conquer before moving out...see you in sunny Phoenix!!
Because life wasn't dramatic enough with finals looming on the horizon and all, I spiced things up a bit by dislocating (we think) my finger. I know what you're thinking...but this wasn't some "college nightlife accident." No, it was a gorgeous North Carolina spring day and we were playing some football on the quad. I thought it was just a jam, so I kept playing before calling it a day. I then proceeded to take a nap, which is what I often unintentionally do with my life. Upon waking, I noticed that my finger was pretty swollen and hurting. My own personal orthopedic professional (aka, Pop Pop) recomended that I get an x-ray ASAP to rule out a break or a dislocation. I called Duke Police for a ride to the Duke ER and my friends Taylor and Elizabeth tagged along for the adventure. As it turns out, the x-ray was negative for anything traumatic and my finger continues to feel better every day.
Now here's a riddle for you...what do you get when you mix the vagina monologues and the Duke Women's Initiative and eliminate the vagina part? Since I know you won't guess correctly, here is the answer: Monologues by Duke women (undergrads, graduate students, faculty, staff, etc) about Ugg Boots, relationships with their moms, "i love you" horrors, coming out of the closet, boyfriends, disabled siblings, etc, performed and directed by Duke's female undergraduate students. Aptly titled "All of the Above" it seeks to shed light on the complexities of Duke students' identities and experiences. An incredibly inspiring and powerful program, it left everyone laughing hysterically and almost in tears, with goosebumps and a lot to think about.
Last night was the Duke Women's Basketball end of the year banquet. It was held in Cameron Indoor Stadium and began at 6:30pm. A welcome study break, about 350 staff members, family members, and fans were in attendance to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2008-2009 Blue Devils. Several awards were presented, Coach P gave a talk and the seniors all shared memories, made "shout outs" and left parting wisdom. You can leave it to Abby to make people cry!!
Practice players and managers at DWB Banquet.Now, I have just 10 days left...and if I could pull a 240 hour-er...I would! I have three finals to conquer before moving out...see you in sunny Phoenix!!
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