The Ultimate KanJam Challenge

With only a few weeks left in my college career, this week my challenge was a true graduation rite: throw a frisbee through the slot in KanJam! For anyone who doesn't know, KanJam is easily the best tailgater game. The inventors seem like two guys drinking their way through an endless tailgate party. So, naturally, it involves a mix of skill, competition, and tons of luck. What more could a group of guys want?

The great part about KanJam (which sets it apart from the infinite amount of other beach bum games) is the slit located in the front panel. This slot is barely bigger than the actual frisbee, but if you can throw the disc through that slot, your just scored a "chog," aka your team automatically wins! It seems so easy as first, "Oh, that's all I have to do??" It's extremely challenging. You have to factor in the wind, the sun, the fact that you can't actually throw in a straight line, and the pressure of an entire stadium staring down your back. 

Enter the second week of April. After talking to friends about the classic game, I realized that I was one of the few who never threw an auto win shot. They all had great stories, too. Such as being down by 10 with your opponent one score from victory. Or hitting the money shot as your major crush walks by and takes notice of you irrefutable athletic ability -- truly a win-win.

With their historic fables, I knew I had to get the perfect shot and challenged myself to score by the end of the week. 

Luckily, the weather has been beyond amazing, so we spent basically everyday going from outside to class to back outside. This set up for the perfect opportunity to finally throw the shot that's been haunting my dreams night after night. Each and every time we set up for a game, I had one thing on my mind, "Throw that prized shot." Images of the first successful throw ran through my head like sugarplums dancing through kids' dreams in The Night Before Christmas. I'd hit the shot and immediately take a confident step forward, throw my hands back, and release my excitement, much in the same fashion as Elsa charging to the balcony of her freshly built ice castle and rejoicing to the world that she has in fact "let it go."

However, as the days went on and weather dropped, so did my confidence. I felt the curse of the great JAMbino taking its toll on me. No matter what I did, I couldn't throw a "chug." I'd hit above the slot, below, to the left, and to the right. But it'd never go through. Normally, I'd blame the wind or sun glare for this lack of results, but this was more than an environmental handicap. I sensed the KanJam gods simply did not want to see me succeed.

Before I knew it, my week was up. And once again, I failed at another challenge. I didn't even learn anything, so I couldn't catch a consolation prize for hitting the second half of my mission statement: to learn something unique. But as the Beatles once sang, "obla di, obla da life goes on." The only sympathy award I could think of was going undefeated for the entire week! I guess being so determined and focused on every shot can lead to playing your best KanJam ever! I might need to find a partner, drop out of school, and hit up the World Championship of KanJam this August. That could be the proper stage to finally throw my automatic winning shot. 

The Struggles of Finding Another Writing Style

Check out my guest post here.

For this week, my challenge was one involving our class project. The assignment called for us to post a guest piece on another blog. It could be a fellow student's, friend's, work's blog, or a full up and running website. Whatever we wanted. When first hearing of this assignment, I immediately thought of Oh My Disney. Imagine Buzzfeed but all about Disney! As a die-hard Disney fan, this is my secret get away. If I was stuck on a deserted island, I'd think about brining just this website. Although not true at all, y'all should check it out!

Before you go thinking, "What kind of challenge is this? You're not learning anything." I get what you're saying, but with this assignment, we had to completely change our writing style. I had to fit the voice of the page I was writing for and keep to it strictly. As you'll see that can be extremely difficult.

In the end, I actually wrote a piece for The Swish, a satirical site that Connor McCausland runs, a close friend from freshman year! For anyone who knows Connor, "hysterical" is one of the first words to pop in their mind.  So, there was a pressure looming over me to keep it extremely funny! Keeping it funny was only one tough aspect, the other was to keep his writing style and voice in it. I wanted this piece to blend in with the rest, so no one would ever think that Connor didn't write this. This was actually just one of the challenges in writing an Onion-like satyrical piece.

The other was coming up with an actual topic to write about. As I'm sure you all know, satirical pieces are often about a ridiculous topic. I'm often left in an envious glare, wondering how anyone could've thought of that. For my piece, I wanted to write about a pop phenomenon that took our culture by storm for a couple of months and then simply died out. I thought bringing it back would also bring some laughs. After many nights of failing to think of anything, I was finally hit with inspiration while just waking up one morning! Sleeping and dreams = where the real magic happens! That'll be my reasoning for why I have a bed in my office one day. Seriously, though, I've thought of most of my ideas for this blog while sleeping. 

For this post, I decided to write about the foxes being offended by Ylvis' "What Does the Fox Say?" If foxes could talk, I bet they'd be angered by this song. For real. After brain storm sessions with my roommates and Connor, we decided the funniest piece would be about cultural appropriation sensitivities involving Ylvis and the foxes.

Now that I had the idea, I needed to actually write the satirical report. As you can tell/might be annoyed by, I tend to be a wordy writer. I like to go into detail and often get sidetracked, but I was left to create a whole story and report all in a few paragraphs. Although it's a short post, I spent a couple of hours with hands on the keyboards, typing away, deleting paragraphs, and struggling in general. I wanted to tell a ridiculous story that fit with the theme.

After struggling for some time, I was eventually able to hit a groove and find a satirical, reporter voice that told the story of offended foxes. But the challenge was not quite over. Next, I had to see what Connor liked/would change. Some take criticism as an attack to their comedy or writing ability, but I've learned when it comes to blogging, there is never too much critiquing. You have to stretch yourself into uncomfortable situations in order to grow and be the best.

Again, you can check out my post on foxes here.

Wedding Bliss

As you all are probably tired of reading about at this point, my sister’s wedding was this past weekend! And oh what a great night it was!! Everything from the rain holding up, to the ceremony running smoothly, and the band rocking until 12:30, the night was one worthy of a Disney princess, which my sister, rightfully, thinks she is. However, throughout the night of dancing, catching up with family and friends, and taking pictures, I learned a couple of critical tips for how to be the best groomsman the wedding scene has witnessed.  Some may seem lesser than others, but trust me, you need to know every detail to put on the special night for the bride and groom.

This first tip is one that really tested my buttons (literally). You know the old saying, “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me?” Yeah, well all I can say is, shame on me. One part of the wedding that probably could’ve gone smoother was our tux situation. For some, the tuxes were just completely the wrong size, as in a 10-size difference for pants, some were the wrong color shirts, but for me, I had self-inflicted wounds. When I first took the tux home, I put on my own runway show for sister to show off how snazzy we were going to look for her. Everything went smoothly until my top button came popping off when taking the jacket off. Imagine the buttons on your food-loving uncle’s shirt during Thanksgiving stretching further and further, until POP goes the weasel. It may have been the top button, but I was convinced I could pull it off. Nothing was going to hold back this wedding!

On the wedding day, we made it past the pictures and ceremony without anyone noticing my button was gone. Then, on the dance floor while busting my signature “I know I can’t dance, but I don’t care” moves, POP went the other button. It was like the buttons couldn’t bear to be near such a poor dancer. Whatever, I didn’t like them anyway. But I did learn that a top-notch groomsman knows to bring a handy-dandy emergency sew kit. So, don't be like me. Unless you want to look like a button-less fool, bring a sewing kit!

This second tip was one of my favorite parts of the wedding: come up with a great entrance dance! As some of you may know, before the reception begins, the bridal party kicks off the night with an entrance to bring in the two lovely newlyweds. Every type of dance you can think of is used. Sometimes, the more creative, the better, and in some cases, a toned down version would’ve been certainly been fine. As the brother of the bride, I was naturally paired with the groom’s sister. We knew we had to make an entrance that would be remembered for ages. In 100 years when historians look back on weddings, they’d use this single, 10 second moment as how to correctly welcome a new bride and groom. However, we couldn’t come up with any ideas. Literally nothing. Our list was dryer than a tumbleweed filled desert in the summer. Luckily, my sister came to our rescue and actually wanted us to do a certain entrance. 

We were the last ones to walk in before the new couple, so our role was to not only introduce them but to also bring together two large families. To do this, we each carried two signs to portray the lovebirds tying the knot. The first sign had our last name, and then the second posters put together spelt out, “One Happy Family.” We both thought this was a sweet moment to showcase what the wedding was all about.  Sure there was a great band and an open bar, but we were all there to show our love for these two as they take a major step in their life.

This last part should be a no brainer! Any solid groomsman knows this is a staple of weddings (except for me, apparently. But I know now!). You should always bring a pack of tissues! Everyone knows a wedding is a tear-jerking, emotional ceremony. From the music playing in the background to seeing the doors open up and the bride stepping out onto the church for the first in her long, flowing white gown. It’s a moment she’s probably dreamed of many times, played time and time again with her friends, and now, it’s finally here. It’s an emotional moment for even the non-emotional. I don’t care who you are; no one can go through that without any sentimental feelings. It’s simply impossible! So that’s where the tissues come in. You can use them for yourself, hand them off to the grandparents who are filled with so much joy, or keep them for the bride and groom because they can’t make it fully through this moment either.

Tears aside, my sister’s wedding was an amazing day and night. We were able to celebrate with family and friends whom we haven’t seem in a while. But my personal favorite part was shredding up the dance floor with childhood friends! I am worried about the pictures that may come from the night, though. I am fully aware that I should never try out for Dancing with the Stars. But as they say, when in Rome! It’s simply not right to stand clear of the dance floor when at a wedding. You have to dance away the demons and bring luck to the newlyweds as they begin their journey together! Congratulations again, Amanda and Jerry!

Guest Post: An Ecuadorian Cultural Immersion

This week, the wedding craziness continued and seemed to get even more insane. I didn’t think that was actually possible, but somehow it was. I now understand the allure of eloping. For real. You don't have to do any of this, and the great Elvis marries you! Pretty cool. So, instead of doing a wedding 2.0, I interviewed one of my roommates. But before I go on, remember: This Saturday, April 2nd Fordham Church. Be there, please!

Andrew just got back from a cultural immersion trip to Ecuador through Fordham’s Global Outreach (GO!). Since GO! trips test you in everyway possible, emotionally, spiritually, physically, and more, we talked about what he learned throughout the week, what the most challenging parts were, and what took him by surprise. 

Can you give an introduction to the type of community you were visiting?

Before he went into detail about his own experiences, he described where they were, the people they met, and their economic situations to give context to his story. Andrew and his fellow team members visited Arbolito, Ecuador, which is an invasion community outside of Guayaquil, Ecuador. (Guayaquil is one of the most popular cities in Ecuador)

With a confused look on my face, he knew to describe what an invasion community actually is. Similar to what the name suggests, invasion communities are communities that form when a large group of people, not necessarily originating from the same place, move to the same land to live. They pick a spot and squat there. Just as apartment squatters in NYC who take over an apartment without signing a contract. They don’t own the land, but they live there. In the beginning, there is extreme poverty, but overtime they grow and receive more reasonable amenities, such as paved roads and cinderblock houses.

What was culturally different between US and Ecuador?
 

Like all Americans, food is always on our minds, so I asked Andrew about the difference in our dishes to those of Ecuador. He said the staple dish is menestra  (lentils, rice, and vegetables). They had it a whole lot throughout the week, sometimes twice in one day (could be why he came back almost a 10 pound bag of potatoes lighter). Along with menestra, they eat both fried and sweet plantains, fresh bananas, eggs, and bread. On special occasions they’ll have fish and mangoes, or other more expensive fruits. So a simple diet. Especially in the eyes of an American living in NYC. Those in the invasion communities cannot afford, nor do they have access to a wider range of ingredients.

Since community such a critical part of the invasion community’s lifestyle, Andrew also talked a lot about that aspect, and how it differs from an American view's. He said the kids are all playing soccer in the street throughout the night. It’s full of future bend it like Beckhams who won’t quit! Another community past time is the classic game of Bingo. They just have to make sure to get a good seat B-4 they’re all taken! Sorry I had to. But interestingly enough, homelessness is not actually a problem in these communities because someone who is out of work is cared for by the others. They view "being out of work" as simply a tough time in someone’s life, so the community will help out. To show their emphasis on community, an American priest in the area explained that he gets offers all of the time from families for him to live with them. They don’t understand how he can be happy living by himself.

What was the most challenging part?

Here, Andrew got serious, and I knew he was not about to crack a joke. He said there were 2 things, the first being more serious. 

1) Experiencing poverty on a level that doesn’t really exist in the US. People are struggling to get the basic needs of human life (homes that don’t fall apart, access to water, and in the rainy season – access to food during floods).  Andrew explained, “Seeing that amount of poverty and knowing how I’ve never had to struggle with those things, and feeling helpless about how we can make a difference in this community. That was hard to watch. If you stand on a roof, all you can see is poverty. There’s so much of it that it makes you feel helpless.” The vision on the rood helped to portray what life must be like in an invasion community.

The second one is more personal and lighthearted:

2) He started off with "90 degrees and 95% humidity from 10am to 10pm. It only got to 80 at night - so still hot." I knew exactly where this was going. This was no cruise through the tropics with a piña colada in one hand and a cuban cigar in the other. They always felt sweaty, dirty, and simply gross (to American standards). They were hot even getting out of the shower. If they dried off from head to toe, by the time they reached their feet, their head was already sweating. That's real heat. 

What surprised you the most?
This was the last question I asked him, and I too was surprised by some of it. First, he said how happy everyone was. Even those living without fresh water most days, houses that have the chance of flooding in the rainy season, burning down in the dry season (even without my cooking), who worked 16 hours a day didn't complain. They were happy for their families, success, and accomplishments in life. One lady told my roommate: "Life is hard but not impossible." I immediately smiled and fell in love. Anyone who can keep that positive of an attitude, no matter the conditions, is a hero in my book! 

The second most surprising thing he came across in Ecuador was The Godfather. For some reason, they loved the classic mafia hit! We all love a good Italian mafioso, but I was not expecting that in Ecuador. Andrew said he t-shirts, pictures on walls, and his personal favorite...  The Godbarber. Is that a barber shop with a side of mafia? Who knows. But if your barber takes out an orange while cutting your hair, run like the wind, Bullseye! Your hair may not be the only thing he'll be cutting...

Although this was a more serious themed post, I felt that it was the only way to accurately portray Andrew's experiences in Ecuador and not leave those in the invasion communities in the shadows. The week in Ecuador was an ultimate challenge for Andrew, and he learned more than he could have hoped for spiritually, emotionally, and physically.