Category: BlockOne

Frightening. Nerve-racking. Powerful. These are all words that are often used to describe the SAT and the process of SAT testing. High school students across the U.S. and across the world are traumatized, exhausted, and stressed by this exam. Often, a person’s SAT score has the power to dictate where they’ll end up attending college, and may even shape the rest of their personal and professional lives. Unfortunately, though the SAT seems to hold so much significance in the college aplication process, in actuality, it is utterly useless.

For starters, the SAT only focuses on two academic areas. This includes math and reading/writing (English). Even though SAT subject tests are available, that cover other material, main admission’s focus is placed on the standard SAT. Because of this factor, students with talents in other subjects are not able to shine, while students with better math and English skills have an unfair advantage.

Additionally, the SAT greatly stresses students and in turn, takes focus away from schoolwork and other junior year endeavors. For most high school students, junior year is their most important academic year, in regards to set up for a college plan. By being so blatantly distracted by preparing for the SAT, students cannot put all of their energy into classes. This could greatly harm students, because it has the potential to lower grades, GPA’s, and possibly even AP test scores.

But most importantly, the SAT is one singular exam, and a student cannot be accurately depicted by their score. Basically, colleges are given an “easy way out” in the admissions process and are unfairly judging students for their scores. A student is more than one specialized test. Unfortunately, their score on the SAT, if too low, has the potential to diminish an otherwise perfect academic record, and take away a well deserved opportunity for acceptance into a top school.

For these reasons, SAT scores should not so heavily dictate a student’s chances of admission to their school of choice. One singular exam, focusing on only two academic areas, that stresses students, distracts them from their general studies, and improperly represents their abilities, should not greatly impact college acceptance. In all honestly, the SAT truly shouldn’t even exist. The abilities of students would be better depicted to colleges, if SAT scores were taken out of the equations, and only grades, extracurriculars, work experience, internships, AP scores, and other similar factors were only included instead.

When I come across the question of whether it is better to live in an apartment or in a house, I sometimes find it difficult to answer. In fact, I have only resided in apartments for the last 16 years of my life, including my room at the dormitory. Even though there are times I wish for a little bit more tranquility, I am fond of the sense of community and the convenience of living in an apartment.

Apartments’ walls can only be so thin. My apartment building did not allow for pets, yet my neighbors directly below from my apartment raised a dog. The dog would bark so loud that I could hear it every now and then. Moreover, the neighboring family to my left used to scold their little daughter almost every night. The poor little girl! Their bedroom is adjacent to mine, so the scolds sounded like they were meant for me, too.

The bonds between neighbors seem very strong, as we share the same utilities and the same elevators. Proximity also fosters trust. When my family went on vacations and there was a delivery to my apartment, my neighbor would not mind receiving the package. They would not mind looking out for my apartment’s door when we were away, either. Moreover, since we all live so close together, kids also got to play with each other every day. I remember riding bikes with my neighbors along the hallway; the multiple tire marks on the wall represented our childhood that sleeps still in the past.

Living in an apartment can be very convenient. Apartment buildings in Vietnam are usually located in blocks, so there are accessible mini-grocery stores and stool restaurants, as well as toad markets within 500 meter of the home. Moreover, the kitchen and the bathroom are within only a few steps and without having to walk downstairs or upstairs. Plus, the small size of an apartment makes it feel very warm and cozy and strengthens the bond of family. For example, if my sister and I have a conflict, we cannot avoid each other for long.
All in all, if I got to choose where to live, I would opt for an apartment without a doubt.

    I get home and I am elated to crawl into my bed. I am always so tired, fatigued to the point where I don’t think about much other than the next chance I will get to pull my comforter up over my head and hide away in the warm, stuffy darkness, the purring weight of my cat nestled in the curve of my belly.

    The problem is this is all I want to do. I don’t have the motivation to get out of bed. Even when my limbs grow numb and my back and neck begin to throb from sitting in one position for hours, I can’t bring myself to get up. I don’t even do things in my bed. I don’t draw, I don’t write, I glaze over when I listen to music and the television I watch doesn’t register. I sit with my computer on my lap, scrolling through movies I used to enjoy, none of them sparking interest anymore.

    I don’t like doing things. I lose interest too quickly, growing bored or becoming frustrated if a creative venture doesn’t go as planned.

    I lay awake at night and think about everything I have said that day, every little thing I’ve done. I think about how I’m wasting my youth by sitting, aching in my bed for hours each day, every hour that I’m not at school or work. I hate myself for it, urging myself to get up and do something, but I can’t bring myself to change. Instead, I stay laying under my covers, body still and cramped, my mind racing far too fast.

    Everything is so loud, it hurts my head. I am overloaded with noise and thoughts and things I want to do. But I’m so empty. I’m afraid of intimacy now, of opening up. I get angry with the people I love for no reason, and I feel as if I’ve lost connection with the people in my life. I feel so isolated and lonely as if I am the only one on the outside.

    So I lay in my bed under my blanket, because that’s the only place I feel I have control, even though it is where I feel the most alone.

      The small European country, the Republic of Macedonia, is not one that appears often in the media. However, the republic made national headlines in January as it ended a two decade-long dispute with Greece, which resulted in a name change for the former Yugoslav state.

      The Republic of Macedonia is a relatively new country, having formed in 1991 after declaring independence from Yugoslavia. The state, which borders Greece to the south, derived its name from the ancient Macedonian Tribe that previously occupied northern Greece.

    Unfortunately, immediately after FYR* Macedonia seceded, conflict arose with its southern neighbor. Grecians were concerned because the state shared a name with the bordering Greek region (also called Macedonia.) The Greek government implied that FYR Macedonia was claiming ownership over Greece’s Macedonia, who had held the title since Alexander the Great’s time.

   As a result of the dispute, Greece, as a member of NATO and the EU, adamantly denied FYR Macedonia’s membership requests for both groups. After years of conflict, disagreement, and unsuccessful attempts of joining supranational groups, FYR Macedonia’s prime minister, Zoran Zaev, decided to attempt to resolve the issue.

     In June 2018, prime ministers Zoran Zaev and Alexis Tsipras of Greece met and came to an agreement: the Republic of Macedonia would officially change their name to the Republic of North Macedonia, and Greece would allow them to join NATO and the EU. After both countries ratified the agreement, on February 12, 2019, the Republic of Macedonia changed its name to the Republic of North Macedonia.

*Former Yugoslav Republic

There is a concept pertaining to life that has always caused some sort of begrudged reaction when mentioned. This aspect is called change, and while many times we look forward to change in our lives, there are plenty of other times when we view change in a negative light. So why do we have all of these mixed feelings about change?

A primary reason for this fluctuation of feelings over change can be due to the fact that change often means that something in our lives becomes different. Mainly this change in our life can seem scary, because we are unfamiliar or uncertain of the result. In these present times, the American culture is looking for and in many regards demanding us to seek perfection. So with this change there is a possibility of failing.

But no matter what society may want, it is important to remember that these lives are ours. Change can be very good for us mentally, for example taking us out of a toxic relationship and surrounding ourselves with positive people who believe in us instead. Although you may undergo grief by letting go of that harmful relationship, in the end you are better off. In the end change may be hard and difficult for the human race, but it could possibly be the key to our problems or the remedy that relieves us of our daily anguish and pain.

I used to never wear hats. Not only did I think I looked bad in them, but I thought they were uncomfortable as well. But now, because of what happened to my hair, I wear a hat every time I leave the comfort of my home. I’ve gotten used to it by now, but every now and then, I get reminded of my lack of hair.

 

For example, when we have to stand for the pledge of allegiance. I stand and put my hand over my heart, but the hat stays on. Can you imagine the reaction if I took off my hat? It would be like that Spongebob episode where everyone yells ‘bald’ at King Neptune. Even if people didn’t react like that, I know I would get some funny looks. It’s not every day where you see a high school kid with hair like mine, or lack of it.

 

Now, you’re probably wondering how my hair got to this point. Well, about a year and a half ago, I found out that I had alopecia, which is a hair loss disease. It started with a single spot on the back of my head, before spreading and spreading until I had no hair left. Even my eyebrows and eyelashes were gone. There is no definitive cure for alopecia, so dermatologists just tried just about everything to get my hair to grow back. They tried creams, shampoos, steroids, even injections into my head (yes, it hurt very much).

 

No matter what they tried, none of it was enough to cause significant hair growth. Now, I am taking a new kind of pill that will hopefully help. In the meantime, I will still wear my hat.

I remember returning to Vietnam for the summer after my first year in the U.S. It was exciting to finally see your family and friends after ten months apart. As my relatives greeted me with the warmest hugs (although it was approximately 100 degree outside), they kindly asked me questions about my life in the United States. One of my favorite questions is, “What do you find different between life in the United States and life in Vietnam?”

There are multiple answers that could satisfy their curiosity, and one of them is the marketplace, specifically vendor markets

In Vietnam, many people buy groceries at established markets or vendor markets. Vendor markets are stalls that were set up near crowded neighborhoods, usually where there are many apartment and tenement buildings. We endearingly call these markets “toad markets,” not because they sell toads, but because they “jump” every now and then. As a matter of fact, vendor markets are not allowed to exist as they occupy pavements, which can possibly be used as parking spots for motor scooters and for pedestrians. Whenever a truck with ward police is coming, shoppers and sellers quickly gather the products and pile them up into the closest closed space in the neighborhood. A few minutes later, business occurs again. Each seller usually specifies in certain products: fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, sticky rice, etc. In addition, vendor markets are where some of the best restaurants are located. Many Vietnamese believe that “good wood is more important than good paint,” in which they place more focus on how delicious the food is than on how the restaurant looks like.

“Toad” markets represent some of the best things about Vietnamese culture. Come check them out for yourself!

 

Though a strictly “U.S. 1st” mentality regarding foreign relations is a good idea in theory, this mindset will lead to more issues in the future. To start, if the U.S. has no regard for other countries it would lead to increased tension in global relationships, which would then lead to countries becoming more hostile and less likely to cooperate with the U.S.’s needs. Additionally, by only being concerned about getting ahead, U.S. leaders may partner with dictators and other dangerous totalitarian leaders which would hurt other global causes like human rights efforts. Also, by only worrying about current US issues, present issues are taken care of while there are no efforts being put into preventing possible future large scale issues.

Secondly, a cooperative and interdependent world seems like a step in the right direction, but too much interdependence can have negative effects. To start, the U.S. would be giving too much control/power to other already powerful countries (ex: China), which would further tip the power scale against the U.S. Also, U.S. values and cultural aspects are very different from other nations and trying to further push cooperation would lead to more hostility. Furthermore, by pushing interdependence and cooperation the U.S. would be strengthening some similarly run democratic governments, but also be greatly aiding/strengthening tyrannical dictators and unfair leaders.

Finally, although we want to keep U.S. citizens safe, protecting the U.S. homeland is not the only issue of importance. By solely focusing on security issues, the U.S. would be turning a blind eye to even more serious issues that can’t be controlled by borders, such as the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus. Additionally, part of the reason why the U.S. has the world’s largest economy is because of our heavy dependence on trade relations with other countries. By selfishly only focusing on the issue of security at home, those crucial relationships (and our overall economic excellence) would be jeopardized. By being so consumed by security issues the U.S. would have to step back from important global commitments previously made with other countries, which would anger those countries leaders and cause more ruined global relationships.

Photo by Octavio Suarez on Pexels.com

I am gay I never see anyone like me at school dances. Maybe they’re there and I simply can’t see them amidst the throngs of bodies in the hot gym, but when the love song from ten years ago comes on over the speakers, there are no girls like me on the floor holding each other close. Instead, I stand with my back against the stage, jealous of those that don’t think about holding their lover’s hand while people are around, aren’t conscious of everything that they do together.

I am gay and I am scared, terrified that the wrong person will hear me talking to my friends about the girl I like and track me down later and hurt me for it. I have a creeping sensation in my belly that makes it hurt, one that tells me I will never be safe no matter where I go, not all of the time anyway. I am aware of the things I say when I am not surrounded by people I trust, and even then I fear someone vile will overhear. I am very aware of how I look, about how it is not hard to tell. I am afraid of people that want to hurt me, that could hurt me, of men who see me as an object and only push harder when I say “no, I like girls.”

I am gay and my own grandparents can’t even stand it, turning their own antiquated attitudes into something that is my fault, saying that I was keeping an incredible secret and lying to them. They say these horrible things and further turn it into a fact of a disrespectful young degenerate when I tell them I don’t want to sit down and have a meal.

I am gay and I am scared, scared that my loudness will get me into trouble, that my short cropped hair will give me away, that I might be left alone at the wrong time and something will happen. I have this hopeless feeling that things will always be this way but for me and others’ sake, I hope that I am wrong.