Third.

We're studying the Yanomamo in my Comparative Social Organizations class. They're a tribe of people down in Venezuela and Brazil that have been badly affected by the gold mining operations occuring there since the 70's. There are people being murdered by the miners, killed by the diseases brought in from the outside world, and their land is being slowly destroyed. It makes me angry to think that there are people, human beings, innocent children, being killed because of how selfish others are. No matter how many times the issues are being brought up to the South American government, nothing it being done to make the situation better. The American Anthropological Association (AAA) can only do so much, and frankly, sending missionaries isn't enough and its not helping.

When I first learned about the Yanomamo, I was confused. I didn't understand how anyone could live like that. It is a male- dominated society, abuse of women is common, young girls are married off at a young age, and many times the people will starve because there isn't enough food for everyone. But when we started studying them more, I began to understand and respect them. The value family as the number one thing in their lives, and although women are mistreated and abused, they are still seen as an integral part of society. Their religion, with its roots in myths and superstition, is beautiful. They seek to explain every day occurrences and events through nature. We listened to the chantings of the Shamans in one of the Yanomamo villages along the Orinoco River. They were some of the most mesmerizing sounds I have ever heard. Their language is amazing, extremely complex, but at the same time, very simple. They do not know numbers above 1 and 2, anything more than that they refer to as "many". Age is not known because there is no calendar. These people take everything one day at a time. They have the utmost respect for the deceased, refusing the speak the name of those that have died, even ancestors from hundreds of years ago.

I want to work with these people. I want to help the South American government come to recognize them as a civilization and to get them the help they need. Before the outsiders came to their land, the Yanomamo were completely isolated. They didn't come in contact with swine flu, HIV, AIDS, influenza, etc. But now, their populations are rapidly becoming infected as a result with contact with outsiders and therefore, are rapidly diminishing. I want to be able to help stop their disappearance. I don't know how, but I'm going to.

Second.

This is Zion National Park in Utah. Several years ago, Dad and Chris and I went on a 10 day trip to the Grand Canyon and drive through Zion to get there. It was absolutely breathtaking. I can't take credit for this picture, but believe me, I wish I could. If you ever get the chance to go to Utah or anywhere in that area, check out Zion. You won't regret it. Also, www.twanight.org has really stunning photographs of the sky at night time. Take a look.

It just hit me how insane these next two weeks are actually going to be. Today I've got a three hour physics lab, tomorrow there's the normal class schedule followed by (what should be) a spectacular dinner with my Phi Mu family, Thursday is an easy day... No class, followed by my acting as a "sober sister" at a mixer that night. Friday is a normal day. I am excited though, on Sunday my Grandparents (mom's parents) are coming into town. I haven't seen them since Christmas and am really excited about it. Then next week is Derby Days, with Sigma Chi. I'm really hoping that Greek Life as a whole takes a new approach to it this year, as opposed to years past. This could be the year where we either start sliding back into a slump, or where we really show people who we are and break through the stereotypes that most people have of Greek Life.

I'm not your typical "sorority girl", anyone who knows me well can attest to that. And I would like to help people see that not all sororities are like the ones shown in "popular" movies of today. None of my values have changed since joining Phi Mu, none of my personal goals have changed. If anything, Phi Mu and the fantastic people I call my sisters has pushed me to want to do more with my life than I have ever wanted to do before.

On a different note, all of the snow here in Charleston has completely melted. We had a fantastic time Friday night playing in the snow. There's a first time for everything, and this was definitely the first time I had ever seen a snow- covered Palm Tree. Apparently, it snowed in all of the states except for Hawaii on Friday, which, to be honest, frightens me a little bit. Welcome to Global Warming, people.

I learned last night that the closest star to us is going to explode sometime in the next century or so. If all goes as scientists think it will, there shouldn't be any problems. It'll just be like we have a second sun at night for a month or two. Basically, it'll be daylight for a while, then when all of the energy disperses, all will be back to normal. If i remember correctly, this will be the first time humans have been alive to witness this phenomenon. One of those "once in a lifetime" opportunities I guess.

I know these are random and all over the place.. just following my train of thought.

First.

I've never had a blog before. I hadn't even considered getting one until I read that a good friend of mine had created one. I liked what she had to say, and she was so positive about it, and it made me want to put forth that kind of happy, positive, vibrant energy for other people out there. I'm not sure what this is going to be about, but more than likely it'll be about the goings on in my life and the lives of those I'm close with, things that affect me, and a lot of my opinions. It'll be extremely random, occasionally funny (but I'm not a very funny person, so we'll see), sometimes serious, and always relevant in some way, shape, or form.

Its officially Valentine's Day (or Singles' Awareness Day if you prefer). I never understood the concept of Valentine's Day. Why do we need one single day devoted to expressing love and affection for one other? If you ask me, that should be what every day is like. The world would be a lot better place if there was more love going around. Yes, to the cynics out there, its going to take a lot more than a little more love to solve the world's problems, but its definitely a good place to start.

As a Phi Mu at the College of Charleston, I've pledged to be a sister to thousands of women, old and young, all across the country. There is so much more to the "Greek Scene" at colleges than partying, drinking, and socializing. I joined Phi Mu because I wanted to develop a connection with young women, like myself, that I wouldn't otherwise find at college. These young women that I share this connection with are my sisters, they are my family, and I love each and every one of them. There are many problems with the Greek System, but this is (unfortunately) true on all college campuses. Today however, Panhellenic at the College of Charleston took its first of many steps to improving the public view of Greek Life. In short, we all realized how important it is to hold each and every one of our sisters accountable for their actions, and how important it is to live up to higher standards of philanthropy, scholarship, leadership, and sisterhood. This is just a jumping off point for the Greek system here in Charleston, and I have absolutely no doubts that the action plans created during the Values- Based Risk Management Seminar held today are going to force Greeks all across campus, and hopefully across the country, to change the image we put forth.

Life Lesson #1: If you remember who you are and stay true to that person, you can do anything.