My Sense of Place?
Zoell Lhomi
What is my sense of place? This is a question that I thought I would never ask myself because I don't really like philosophical questions. I never question things about life – my life to be specific – as it just gives me a headache at the end of the day. When Tory introduced this prompt, I was caught off guard as I didn’t expect to write about something like this at all. I sat there in the cold leather cover swivel chair in my room, trying to think of a place I thought I belonged. This lead me to look back to my roots, when I was still living in Nepal
I grew up in Kathmandu, the biggest and most polluted city in Nepal, housing approximately 1.5 million people crammed in an area of 19 mi². My trees were 7 story tall buildings, my air was polluted, my lakes were sewers and my forests were the slums. My life was ordinary to say the least, nothing special about it. I was a happy child just enjoying life, or that's how I want to think about it. To be honest, I never really liked Nepal. Now that I think about it, I would blame the people from my previous school for my resentment towards my motherland. It all started in 5th grade. I had transferred to a new school, but this was not the same as the previous school I went to. This one had a lot more bullies and “rebellious” kids. I was bullied by an 8th grader, a big guy with a circular shaped head who wore round glasses. He tormented me, from getting beat up by him to threatening my life. He was an interesting kid to say the least. On top of that, I couldn't do anything against him as he was 4 years older than me. His older brother was also a gang member, which he used as leverage to scare me. His bullying continued for 2 years. He did eventually stop after I mustered up the courage to sucker punch him. I hated him, and to this day I hate him. He was the reason I started hating school and he was the reason my life was hell. Thanks to him I did not like the people in my school which eventually developed to disliking my own country. It really amazes me how one person changed my view on a county.
Nepal was definitely not a place I connected with, so I decided to look at the place I am currently living. March 3rd 2020, I immigrated to the States. To be more specific, I moved to Durango, Colorado. I arrived 2 days before lockdown, and had only seen a little bit of downtown, Walmart and the hills - sorry I meant to say the “mountains'' - that surrounded the area before everything shut down. I really liked Durango, it was a peaceful place and the best part was that I got a new start. After schools reopened, I began to socialize again, I met wonderful people who I could connect with and depend on. I enjoyed living here, but I never felt like I belonged here. Being a person of color in a mostly white town I feel alienated and feel like I am an outsider. From getting stares walking downtown and old white people greeting me with ni hao (I am Nepalese), I feel like I will never fit in. As much as I love this town I could never connect to this place and I never will.
As I lean on my chair, it creeks and breaks the silence in my room. I snap back to reality and look down at my wrist, my watch reads 1:27 am. It was getting late and I didn’t want to think anymore, I just accepted the fact that, well, I don't have a sense of place quite yet. Maybe the reason I came to this conclusion was because I was drifting away to sleep or maybe it was my subconsciousness answering my question. I wonder if there is something wrong with me for thinking this way? Who knows? I don't care. For a small part of me believes I'll find my “place” sooner or later, or maybe it's just a false sense of hope my brain is creating so I don’t spiral down a rabbit hole of questions. I don't have to rush things though. I will just go with the flow for now. The same phrase I've always repeated…
Social Movement Seminar
Reflection
I was part of the seminar group and our goal was for our participants to be involved in a discussion about social movements and gain a new perspective and understanding of social change through sharing experiences and building upon what they already know. I initially joined this group because I wanted to hear from the parents in the exhibition how social movements were back in the day because my generation grew up with the internet making it easy to protest and walkouts were easier, but back when people did not have access to the internet it must have been harder for them to set up protest and riots.
Even though my group was only able to pull off only one seminar it was very successful and I learned a lot more than I thought I would. I learned that protests would be planned out in meetings and that information would be passed out in person. One parent/participant brought up the idea that because information about the protest in the past was passed out in person it might have been more reliable than information being spread through the internet! I was taken aback by this bold statement but the more I thought about the more I started agreeing with her. I looked back at what happened on January 6 with the US capital raid and the walkout that happened in our school. There was so much misinformation being spread out and a lot of people were not aware of what was going on. This statement eventually turned into the biggest question in our seminar, is the internet helpful for social movement? We went back and forth and looked at both the pros and cons of the use of the internet in social movements. In the end, everyone at the seminar agreed that the internet is like a double-edged sword and we should be very careful about what information we are spreading out. We are lucky to have this resource but we have to keep in mind that misinformation is always out there.
All in all, for our first-ever exhibition this year did very well. I really enjoyed working on our project and seeing my peers work on theirs. I really wished we could have pulled off more seminars but that was not possible this time. If I had to do this project again I would definitely promote our seminar more so we could do more than just one. As a project manager, I would have definitely spread out the seminar because I felt like there were too many people near the entrance and not the exit. I am really glad I was a part of the seminar group as I was able to walk out of the exhibition with different perspectives and ideas. Even though being the project manager was a little stressful at times I really enjoyed making the floor design and working with my peers to make this exhibition a success. I must say after doing this exhibition I am looking forward to future exhibitions and being a part of making them as successful as this one.
Even though my group was only able to pull off only one seminar it was very successful and I learned a lot more than I thought I would. I learned that protests would be planned out in meetings and that information would be passed out in person. One parent/participant brought up the idea that because information about the protest in the past was passed out in person it might have been more reliable than information being spread through the internet! I was taken aback by this bold statement but the more I thought about the more I started agreeing with her. I looked back at what happened on January 6 with the US capital raid and the walkout that happened in our school. There was so much misinformation being spread out and a lot of people were not aware of what was going on. This statement eventually turned into the biggest question in our seminar, is the internet helpful for social movement? We went back and forth and looked at both the pros and cons of the use of the internet in social movements. In the end, everyone at the seminar agreed that the internet is like a double-edged sword and we should be very careful about what information we are spreading out. We are lucky to have this resource but we have to keep in mind that misinformation is always out there.
All in all, for our first-ever exhibition this year did very well. I really enjoyed working on our project and seeing my peers work on theirs. I really wished we could have pulled off more seminars but that was not possible this time. If I had to do this project again I would definitely promote our seminar more so we could do more than just one. As a project manager, I would have definitely spread out the seminar because I felt like there were too many people near the entrance and not the exit. I am really glad I was a part of the seminar group as I was able to walk out of the exhibition with different perspectives and ideas. Even though being the project manager was a little stressful at times I really enjoyed making the floor design and working with my peers to make this exhibition a success. I must say after doing this exhibition I am looking forward to future exhibitions and being a part of making them as successful as this one.
OP-ED
Are we Advocates or Assholes?
Zoell Lhomi
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter,” stated Martin Luther King Jr.
Throughout history, people have advocated for the things they cared about. At Animas, students are given a space to advocate for the things we care about. Recently, rather than advocacy, it has turned into complaining and nagging. We advocate and expect our teachers to do something but do not provide a solution. We see only problems and do not try to open our minds to solutions. It is easy to see problems, but much more complicated to find a solution. It takes critical thinking, consensus building, communication, and an open mind to find a solution.
If we genuinely want to make a change, we would research, provide background and think of different ways to tackle the problem, but instead we “advocate” to get out of work. We do not do our work and look at the negative and let it get the best of us. We complain that our voices are not being heard and that advocacy does not work in Animas, forgetting that students in the past have successfully advocated and made big changes that can be seen today. An example of this is the change in our dress code policy. Before this change students in our high school were expected to meet outrageous dress code policies that were gendered, but a student who was passionate about changing it wrote an op-ed that pointed out the flaws and recommended solutions. And that writing managed to change it for the better.
It is important for students to understand that our school structure is multi-level and so we need to be prepared to understand and potentially address all levels. Talk to your peers, find support and be ready to defend your standing with evidence and solutions.
It is a privilege to be able to express our voices and have them heard, but that does not mean we act entitled. And if something we are advocating about is not approved, we have to understand that just because we are advocating about something it does not mean it is always going to be accepted.
On the other hand, just because students are advocating about something that a teacher is not very fond of, it does not mean that you do not listen to them; you have all the right to not approve or disagree with what we are advocating for but, the students have all the rights to know why you came to that conclusion. Advocacy is a chance to open up a discussion, and a good discussion starts with hearing one another out.
So what next? What can we do from here on out? Communicate with your teachers, and see what they can do to help you. Ensure that your expectations are clearly expressed and realistic. Remember even the smallest voices can make the biggest difference. Include all of your peers and do not outcast them for their opinions. It is important to take advantage of your differences in order to gain a unique perspective on a problem. As a result, you will be able to find the most suitable solution to the situation. Never forget, all for one, is one for all.
Zoell Lhomi
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter,” stated Martin Luther King Jr.
Throughout history, people have advocated for the things they cared about. At Animas, students are given a space to advocate for the things we care about. Recently, rather than advocacy, it has turned into complaining and nagging. We advocate and expect our teachers to do something but do not provide a solution. We see only problems and do not try to open our minds to solutions. It is easy to see problems, but much more complicated to find a solution. It takes critical thinking, consensus building, communication, and an open mind to find a solution.
If we genuinely want to make a change, we would research, provide background and think of different ways to tackle the problem, but instead we “advocate” to get out of work. We do not do our work and look at the negative and let it get the best of us. We complain that our voices are not being heard and that advocacy does not work in Animas, forgetting that students in the past have successfully advocated and made big changes that can be seen today. An example of this is the change in our dress code policy. Before this change students in our high school were expected to meet outrageous dress code policies that were gendered, but a student who was passionate about changing it wrote an op-ed that pointed out the flaws and recommended solutions. And that writing managed to change it for the better.
It is important for students to understand that our school structure is multi-level and so we need to be prepared to understand and potentially address all levels. Talk to your peers, find support and be ready to defend your standing with evidence and solutions.
It is a privilege to be able to express our voices and have them heard, but that does not mean we act entitled. And if something we are advocating about is not approved, we have to understand that just because we are advocating about something it does not mean it is always going to be accepted.
On the other hand, just because students are advocating about something that a teacher is not very fond of, it does not mean that you do not listen to them; you have all the right to not approve or disagree with what we are advocating for but, the students have all the rights to know why you came to that conclusion. Advocacy is a chance to open up a discussion, and a good discussion starts with hearing one another out.
So what next? What can we do from here on out? Communicate with your teachers, and see what they can do to help you. Ensure that your expectations are clearly expressed and realistic. Remember even the smallest voices can make the biggest difference. Include all of your peers and do not outcast them for their opinions. It is important to take advantage of your differences in order to gain a unique perspective on a problem. As a result, you will be able to find the most suitable solution to the situation. Never forget, all for one, is one for all.