1. Dolphins 2023

  Miso Soup      America is the melting pot of the world.      Recently, in my History class, I’ve started learning about immigration to the U.S.: the hopes and dreams of people who’ve crossed sea and land, and the soups that they bring; the horrific living conditions within the massive ships, infested with pests and disease and stench; the detaining of immigrants at islands; and the deportations.      Yet throughout it all, a single phrase, brought up from the recesses of my mind, like how a bug escapes from inside a stopped vehicle only to smack against a windshield once the vehicle begins to accelerate once more to the detached amusement of spectators, has been, essentially, living rent-free in my mind.      It's some rather odd imagery. I, being the hungry beast that I am, have always thought of it as a soup. Specifically, the really salty miso soup that this one Sushi restaurant that had a conveyor belt to serve food gave out for free. Sadly, the sushi restaurant closed a long

 The USA has evolved from fighting a war for survival to engaging in proxy wars. One thing that has remained constant is the USA's active portrayal of its motivation as righteous. The USA does not have a clean history with war, but I think its powerful military, focus on ideology, and victories somehow manage to justify its participation in the perception of many. The Revolutionary War stemmed from British taxation on American colonies and Parliament’s refusal to acknowledge the colonists' pleas. Through 1775-1783 and thousands of casualties, the American colonies defeated a tyrannical empire and gained independence. Textbooks portray Americans as fighting for the purest ideals of freedom and the new constitution of equality. I think that this war gave birth to the USA's strong self-perception of morality, leading to a sense of superiority over other countries engaging in wars for “lesser” causes. President James Knox Polk sought to expand westward, but he did not want to p

 Although Americans often consider American a country that is completely separated from Britain, America is still influenced by Europe in numerous ways. One particular British influence on America is literature. Popular British literature has become an important part of American culture as well.  A popular example of this is the success of the Harry Potter series in America. The books sold 2.7 million copies in the UK and 8.3 million copies in the US. Although the books were not as popular in American during the first few years of the debut of the first novel, Harry Potter soon gained immense fame and popularity in America that managed to exceed its popularity in the UK. Although the series often uses British terms and customs that are foreign to American readers, American has still become the largest consumer of the series.                                                                       image:  https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wayfair.com%2Fkeyword.php%3

       America is an English-based country yet so many people speak a different language. When I was little (like newborn to toddler) I was only ever exposed to Chinese despite living in America since my parents spoke Chinese at home and my brother was mute until he was almost 3 or 4 (if I remember correctly).  A few years later, though, I went to Preschool and started learning how to speak and write in English. I don’t remember these early years very well besides really enjoying nap time, but what I do remember is how scared I was to start Kindergarten. I remember on the first day, we were running late to go to an unfamiliar place. When we got to the classroom door, my mom knocked on the door and I promptly stood behind her leg, scared of what's in there. The teacher greeted us and told us to come inside. The classroom was cozy and colorful and I was excited to play here. Until my mom started telling me to be good and started to leave, I quickly realized what was happening and s

       Throughout American history, especially during the Industrial Revolution (gilded age), the “American Dream” has always been a belief of everyone inside or outside of the United States. The “American Dream” is the idea that anyone no matter of race or class can be successful in America and can live their dream lives through hard work and patience. Everyone from all around the world wanted to be rich so they all moved to the US to work in hopes of achieving the dream. New regulations and laws lowered everyone’s salary; it made that dream harder and many had lost hope.   While those times are long gone, the question still stands, Is “The American Dream” still prevalent in today's society? ( American Dream RIP? )        The idea that people can work hard to achieve anything they want is a common belief in society today. The “American Dream” However is not necessarily what it used to be. In many other countries you can work and get the same amount of wealth as you would if you we

I often complain about the country we live in because of the lack of its own culture, the expenses of health care and education, and the fact that most Americans think they are superior to other countries. However, being born in India, I often wonder about how my life would have been if my family never moved to America, which I think would have been worse. This reminds me of all the good aspects of America that I take for granted.  In India, the only career options that are socially acceptable are becoming a doctor, engineer, or lawyer, none of which sparks any interest in me. My parents were pressured by these societal expectations and they both ended up being engineers, something my mom regrets to this day. If I lived in India, I would have suffered the same fate and lived a life doing a job that I dread.  When we came to America, my parents decided that they would let me do anything I wanted, as long as I put in my best effort. Right now, I have no idea what I want to do later in li

As I stroll through the Farmers Market, I find myself surrounded by vibrant produce, the unmistakable sizzle of street food stalls, and most prominently, the chatter of people passing by. I am entranced by the tapestry of languages that envelops me. Whispers of Mandarin, Russian, Hindi, Tagalog, and Spanish fill the air, harmonizing into this chorus of cultural diversity that represents the very essence of America.  I love America. I love California. I love the Bay Area. And I can’t imagine living anywhere else. I’ve always been mesmerized by this “melting pot” of cultures and languages, a place where the world converges and blends. At the tender age of five, moving to America had felt like I was taking on the world.  From having only been exposed to my Tunisian friends and family who all held one culture and one language, it was as if I was stepping into the pages of a fairytale, entering an entirely new realm. Having only known the languages of my homeland, I had began my story as an

Growing up in an era of smartphones, computers, and social media, I have witnessed firsthand the way platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok have shaped and added to the American language.  Emojis, for example, have completely changed the way people communicate and have even transformed into a language of its own in a way. How often have we just responded to a message with a thumbs up, heart, or crying emoji? I have met so many people who have just replied to a message with just a single emoji, but I still know what they are thinking even without directly communicating it to me. Emojis convey emotions and reactions with a tiny picture. Even people who know different languages can easily understand what you are trying to say, which is helpful for bridging language gaps.  Then there are memes, which are used to comment on current events, serve as a topic to talk about, or even just a way to communicate everyday struggles. Some are easily relatable, humorous, and always changing. On

  British vs. American English (americanenglish.state.gov) By now, at least everyone has seen or encountered some sort of joke mimicing British English. However, despite being the same language, how, and why, are the two dialects so different? As America was originally a colony of Britain, how did the two dialects become so distinct so quickly? Most people are eager to point to the fact that naturally, as the U.S. is geographically isolated from Britain, American English is unavoidably different from British English: as time continues, both languages evolve away from each other, both developing on their own permutations.  This same phenomenon remains visible between other languages encountering the same scenario: Mexican Spanish versus European Spanish, and even more similarly, Australian English versus British English. While this argument is objectively true, the evolution of languages is a multifaceted and multivariate phenomenon, and many tend to gloss over other factors. For exampl

English is undeniably a global language, being used in 88 countries across the world. Originating in Britain, the language has progressed to be the most widely spoken language in the world, with over 2 billion speakers ( Wikipedia ). How did it get to that point? Much of the success of the English language can be attributed to America’s rise as a global superpower. Because they were founded by Great Britain, the thirteen colonies in early America were primarily English-speaking. Following the American Revolution, inventions such as the lightbulb and a surge in immigration allowed America to grow into a major exporter of manufactured goods. In the aftermath of the two World Wars, the most industrialized European countries were largely weakened, allowing the US to become the dominant economic power in the world. The economic success of the US in the 1900s allowed major technological and scientific advancements to happen in the country. The economic prosperity in America allowed the colle

A lot of people think different things when they hear the word “America.” Some people think of hot dogs and football while others think of the American dream. When I hear the word “America,” I think of the musical Hamilton.  Hamilton came out in 2015, and to the surprise of many critics, broke an endless amount of records and won countless awards, including the famed Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The rise of Hamilton’s fame is interesting because who would expect a historical musical about one of America’s founding fathers to reach such a high level of fame? When I watched Hamilton for the first time, I was skeptical about what the hype was about— after all, if I wanted to learn more about the American Revolution I could just read a book about it. After watching the musical, I realized that Hamiton did not become extremely successful and popular because of its historical content, but by the patriotism the musical exhibits.                                                            image: 

  When I see others patriotically state, “‘Murica!” I can’t help but feel a bit silly. Through the news and social media, this sort of pride has recently been embarrassingly associated with certain citizens from the South. Personally, I’m not sure how to feel about the US, but I definitely do not have that nationalistic feeling that has been displayed for a long time in movies, literature, protestors, and members of both political parties. To outline my mixed feelings about my nation, I’ll weigh its strengths and weaknesses.  The US is huge, populous, and productive. It has the largest economy and oil production. It has the most prestigious schools. Its culture, music, and entertainment have spread throughout the world. The US has made huge contributions to technology, inventing airplanes, cars, cellphones, and so much more. It has the most Olympic medalists and Nobel Prize winners. It has basketball. The USA prides itself on its national parks, diversity, and prosperity. It has the st

The sounds of chaos enveloped our surroundings, drowning out the innocent cheerful melodies of my little brother’s TV show. The relentless thud of helicopter blades reverberated overhead, and the sporadic bursts of gunfire echoed through the air. I looked over to my mom, who hastily rushed to the window, her trembling hands fumbling to close the blinds. I could feel her fear in the rushed rhythm of her footsteps, the quiver of her hands, and the momentary hesitation that crossed her pale face before she swiftly returned to secure the door lock in a state of quiet panic. For a while, I believed this nightmarish scene was a figment of my imagination, a recurring dream simply unwilling to fade. It wasn’t until I confided in my mom one day, telling her of this bizarre image, that I discovered it was, in fact, not a dream, but an experience dating back to 2011 in the heart of our homeland, my home, Tunisia.  Ever since, this memory has remained a constant presence in my thoughts. I often p

       When you find yourself in a group (such as school or any large event), you may feel that you do not fit in with anyone. This will influence you to try and act like someone else or try to do anything just to please someone else. The more I grew up the more I realized that everything just felt artificial. There is no real emotion when you are just doing something to please someone. Everything you do or may feel feels fake and there's no real emotion to it. ( Istock image )      You can relate to someone trying to fit into this puzzle. No matter how hard you push and wedge the piece into the missing hole, it will never truly be complete. In the same way, no matter how much you try to fit into another group where their personality is completely different from yours, your identity will never truly be like them; the hole will never be filled. The feeling of a fake identity works in a similar way. You can only say you are like  someone else but you can never truly be that person as

  The school bell rang. I see my two friends coming out of their class right across the hallway. I started speed walking towards the bus that we take to our afterschool, which slowly turned into running. Action music from Mission Impossible starts playing in my head. It was a race, a fight for the best seat on the bus, the very back. The only thing that mattered in my six year old mind.  In the midst of this competition, I heard a thud. I look back to see that one of my friends had fallen down while running. Contemplating whether I should help her out or keep my eye on the prize, I decided on the latter.  While I had claimed the best seat on the bus, I hadn’t felt like I won anything. Instead, I started to loathe myself as I watched my other friend help the one that had fallen.  Guilt.  This feeling had kept me up all night as I thought about how bad of a friend and selfish of a person I was. From then on, I decided that I needed to change as I did not want to be perceived that way. 

       https://medium.com/@rarjunpillai/live-the-life-like-an-open-book-b88128b28800      We all remember our elementary teachers telling us to never judge a book by its cover. Despite this phrase being so hammered into our heads, why do we still do it? Even if you haven’t judged a book by its cover, you definitely have judged people by their appearances. This happens subconsciously, comparing what you are used to or what is “normal” to you with whatever is in front of you in order to tell if you should be wary or not. This stereotyping is very interesting, trying to sort everyone you meet into boxes to predict how they will act. In school, this can be seen in which friend group people are in. Those who are “popular” are seen as snobby or mean, but those who are nerds are “anti-social” and “shy.” Although very distinct friend groups do not happen at Ameircan, from what I have seen, the media always shows high school as this big battle to get stereotyped with a “better” group.  In