FIRST!

October 1, 2008: first day of the month and the first day of my blog...what a coinkeedink.

I begin where my life has left off before this blog.

Monday, 9.29.08
The happenings of that day is summed up in the introduction of my Asian American Studies paper...

SYNOPSIS: "when [ignorant] teenage boys a-holler"

After a revitalizing yoga class, I was determined to work on this Asian American Studies essay at my unofficial office, Panera Bread. Strolling down Steinway Street with my rolled yoga mat slung across my shoulders, my back was damp with what was now cool sweat, the kind that feels like you have gotten off a water ride just a moment ago but the sun has not had sufficient time to dry you off.
There were four Hispanic, late teenaged boys sauntering towards the direction I was walking from. As we passed one another, one of the boys to my left believed this was a very appropriate moment to utter a, ‘konichiwaaa’. Flabbergasted, his words rendered me utterly speechless. Here I was, about to analyze racism, the pitting of minorities against one another, and the hardships, fights and frustrations minorities have had to endure in order to combat ignorance; Those battles, struggles and written text that have been published seemed to crumble before my very eyes and ears.
Park accurately expresses how I felt at that point when she illustrates, “Conscious history requires constant attention, or else history will erase what happened, and you will disappear as if you had never existed at all”. This boy who had spoken volumes while merely uttering one word, most probably is not consciously aware of history because he was never exposed to this sector of history. Therefore, Asian American history ‘never existed at all’ for him and in turn made me feel as if I had evaporated and disappeared along with my identity and history.

On a more pleasant note, I am starting my FIRST Modern Dance Class tomorrow! It is a day of 'Firsts' for sure!