Another story

I shook my head no, and wined my way through the thick crowd that was moving to the beat of the loud techno music. Why was it so hard for people to understand that I do not drink? Not like I have a problem with people who do, just that I don’t like to. The club smelled of alcohol and sweat, and the flashing lights were driving me crazy. My head was turning and I was getting a little too dizzy, so I headed for the terrace. As the fresh air punctured my lungs and the street noises broke the thumping of my ears, I felt brought back to reality. I could feel my cheeks flushing with the cold night air, and my blown out hair was flying in all directions. That one moment, I remember, was perfect. The loud music could not be heard, I was breathing the not so clean metropolitan air I was so used to, and after all I might just be able to get through the rest of the night. However, this one moment of tranquility was shattered. A slim red head in a tight black tube top and an unbelievably short skirt tumbled on to me, spilling her blue cocktail all over my new brown wrap dress. Her thin stiletto heels dug into my ballet flat clad foot, and I stumbled to the sticky floor. Just my luck, I thought bitterly to myself as the clumsy girl, who had somehow remained on her feet produced a drunken “Oops” giggled and scrambled a meter away, where a tall boy stood staring.
“Come on,” the girl purred, grabbing him by the bottom of his black T-Shirt. The guy stared at me for a couple more seconds, his eyes flashing as he decided if to help me up or not, until the girl purred something inaudible and he soberly followed her inside. I looked around and was glad to see that there was no one else around, what had these two been up to? But in a matter of seconds the gladness was overcome by anger. How dare she crash into me, spill her radioactive drink all over me, and leave me in the floor without offering as much as a word of comfort or excuse. Unless of course the delusional and intended-sexy oops counted, which it most definitely did not. The anger grew until I was also mad at the guy for standing there staring at me with plain surprise in his eyes, as if he did not know that bimbo of his was an idiot, and then for letting her pull him away by the hem of shirt without offering help. I stood up and stared down at the stained new dress. It was soaked through and all blue like. The night was getting colder and now that I was wet and sticky the wind was freezing me. I pulled up my light brown hair into a messy, sticky, smelly ponytail and then walked inside. The air was stale and smoky; even though there was a lot of lights flashing I couldn’t see a thing. What on earth am I doing here, I evaluated the scene and whipped out my cell phone dialing my cousin’s number and pushing the phone to my ear.
“Hello,” A loud voice hollered followed by a hiccup.
“Tess, I’m gonna go home okay?” I practically shouted into the small black flip phone.
“Oh nooo,” my cousin whined with a distracted voice. A mussed giggle and a strangled stop were heard, and then she spoke into the phone again. “Where are you, I’m up on the second level.” I looked up and saw her slim figure, all wrapped up in a boy whom I did not recognize.
“I see you, who’s the guy?” I questioned as I moved to the front dor of the club.
A hiccup, then, “I’m not sure, but he’s cuute!”
“I see,” I commented out loud while a one word description of her rolled around in my brain. “Well I’m glad you’re having a good time but I am hating it here, just as I predicted. Don’t even say anything because I am not going to listen. I’m calling a cab and going home, so I’ll see you tomorrow okay?” As I looked up I could see that she was now kissing the guy full on, the phone still pressed against her ear. As no answer came from the other end and I knew it didn’t matter anymore, si I just closed the phone and stuffed back in my bag. I walked outside, pretending to not notice the ogling of the bouncers as my soaked self emerged from the club and hailed a cab, or the bemused glance the doorman gave me when I walked into the elegant lobby of my building all wet, and covered in blue liquid, or the pout my Golden Retriever gave me when I petted her in the middle of the night with my sticky hands. I’ll put this dress in the washing machine to save it, take a long hot shower, pamper my hair and skin, and then call it a day, I planned silently as I peeled off the wrap dress and put on my long fine bathrobe.

Revised pieces for magazine

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far far away, there lived a beautiful princess. She was twenty years old, and in search of a husband, more for her parents’ sake than her own. The problem was she never had time to search for real. Every day she went out and helped the kingdom. She slain dragons, she caught vandals, she would save princes that needed saving, and then she would return home, tired and hungry to find her parents nagging her about the husband search. She liked her life, it was normal, calm, and she thought a husband would just unbalance it. However, one day her grandmother came, and the next day her grandfather, and the day after that her aunt, and one by one each family member came from all around to tell her that she needed a husband. There was nothing to do about it, she needed one fast.
So on a sunny Friday afternoon, the princess told her parents she was leaving and would not be coming back until she found the man of her life. Her mother hugged her and told her that it was the right thing to do, while her father rushed in the house and packed a dragon skin bag with some food and some clean clothes. After saying goodbye, the princess went outside, got on her white stallion, and rode like the wind. She traveled for days, meeting many princes, most of which she saved. None, nevertheless, seemed right for her. She killed two dragons, took three robbers to the king’s men, saved five damsels in distress (all of whom were disappointed that their savior had been a princess and not the blue blood prince they had expected), and covered almost every corner of the kingdom. One day she reached an abandoned castle. It was dirty, the windows shattered, the flag that stood at the entrance old and torn. As she circled it in her white steed she saw that in one small window, all the way up, there was a little shimmering light dancing with the wind. As brave as she was, she tied her horse to a tree and walked inside. Creeping down the spider web covered hallways she felt a pang of guilt run through her as she thought about the promise she had made to her parents. She was sure this would be another superficial prince that needed saving.
Halfway up the last stairway a troll jumped down at her and growled angrily. She knew trolls were not the brightest creatures, so she extracted the last piece of bread from her bag, and with a powerful twist of her wrist the slice flew far away. Just as she had expected the clumsy beast ran off after it, and she went on until she reached a little wooden door, which she opened gingerly. Inside there was a long bed and a candle on the night table. A handsome young man lay on it sleeping peacefully. The princess walked over to him and jostled him softly, but he did not shift. She repeated this with more strength. The prince did not stir. The princess bent her head planting a soft kiss on his thin lips. His eyes fluttered open. Sitting up, they locked eyes and smiled shyly at each other. After a long time of staring, she backed away and he thanked her earnestly. It was undeniable; it was love at first sight. They walked out of the palace and both climbed on the stallion that took them to her parents. They received the news happily, and arranged the wedding. The prince and the princess got married, and lived happily ever after.

I hope I could be an orchid.
Only seeing the world once a year
And the rest of the year knowing that I would be safe inside my house.
Knowing that nothing could happen.
Knowing that someone is taking care of me in every single way
And when I come out people look at me with pride in their eyes
Amazed with my beauty.
Looking at me as if I was the last diamond in the world,
Or the biggest emerald that has ever existed.
People look at me admiring the soft white petalsThe violet purple pollen
Even amazed with my ashen green leafs,
Everyone only noticing my bright side.
Then I go back into my houseKnowing people are waiting for me to come out again.
If only I could be an orchid.

Story (part 6)

Three hours later Olivia woke up with a sigh. It was one of those moments when you want to keep on dreaming, but your body wakes up out of the blue in the worst moment. What was that all about, Olivia wondered to herself as she rested her head back on the soft white carpet. Her mind went back to the dream she was having just a moment before- She had been walking alone through the beautifully lit lawn of the White House with a long black evening gown, the soft music of a ball in the background. Suddenly a figure appeared walking towards her absentmindedly. As she came closer she could see it was Sam, dressed in a tux looking perfect with his tan skin and shiny brown hair expertly in place. A twig snapped under her weight, and Sam looked up from the leveled grass. They greeted and exchanged excuses for being outside, and after a while they had finally accepted that they were bored in there with the socialites and important people. They had walked and talked in perfect synch, covering many subjects and having several silences that were far from awkward, just comprehending. They reached a bench and sat down, turning to face each other. Olivia remembered she had racked her head for topics to discuss, and she could tell by the look of desperateness in Sam’s eyes that he was too. Abruptly they both started laughing, her bright green eyes and his deep chocolate brown ones glimmering in the cold night. She could feel it, words were not needed, the fact that they were both there was enough. She blinked, a long, slow blink, and when she opened her eyes again Sam’s face was inching toward hers in a way that made Olivia’s insides churn. And she had woken up. Please come again, Olivia found herself wishing, I need to know what it feels like. What? I want to know what it feels like? Why, I don’t even like him…Do I? Oh my I need to stop thinking. But she couldn’t stop. Her mind raced with thoughts of Evan, the guy she thought she had a crush on and of Sam her old childhood friend, and on an d on it went until Katlin walked in stopping her confused mind.
“Thank you so much,” Olivia breathed with relieve as soon as Katlin walked in the room.
“You‘re welcome, but for what,” her shadow questioned her with curiosity.
“You know, for everything this morning,” she improvised.
Katlin smiled with suspicion and glances at Olivia’s blushing cheeks. “Anyway,” she continued, “I just came back to tell you that your mom want you to meet her for lunch in the dining room right now to discuss some things for tonight, and that after that you have to start getting ready for the gala. And don’t roll your eyes, you know it is very important and it is a big deal to her.”
“Okay,” Olivia replied with an uncanny tone. Katlin looked at her with surprise expecting to hear protest but not getting any. Olivia stood up and went down to the kitchen her mind now moving to the subject of what she would do tonight in the white house gala.
Two hours, seven glasses of water, and a headache later Olivia dragged her thin body up the stairs and into her room, where she went to her desk and plopped down on her blue swivel chair. She quickly opened up Google and typed up “meaning of dreams”. She opened the first site and looked for kissing, and read the meaning with curiousness. “Affection. Joy. Coming success. Wish to be close to someone.” Not wanting to believe it she looked in another web page. This one said “If you are kissing a close friend, then it represents your respect and adoration for your friend. You are seeking some intimate closeness that is lacking in some waking relationship. It may or may not signify a romantic interest for him or her. If the dream ends just about you are about to kiss someone, indicates that you are unsure of how he or she really feels about you. You are looking for some sort of relationship with this person but you are not sure about how to go about achieving it.” I don’t like him like him, he’s been my friend forever one more webpage. The alarm in her inner voice surprised Olivia, liking Sam would not be that weird, maybe it was just physical. He was a very handsome and cute boy. “Kissing a close friend means that there is some undefined tension between you. Competitiveness with him or her signifies that there is chemistry, and quarrels that there is physical tension.” Olivia scratched her head and sighed confused with everything. After a while of staring into space thinking about the dream, she decided to ignore it, after all it was just an image formed by her unconscious.

My life during the famine

This is a poem that is told from two points of view about the same situation. It is about the Irish potato famine, and the point of view of the daughter of a landlord and a tenant peasant:

I wake up in the morning and take a hot bath, eat breakfast, and leave for school.
I wake up in the morning and wash my face, eat a piece of bread, and leave for the fields.

I get to school where I hand in my homework.
I get to the field where my father tells me what the work for the day is.

I am taught by official teachers about many subjects.
I am taught by my tiered mother how to plant carrot seeds.

I have a recess where I discuss my latest purchases with my friends.
I wipe the sweat from my forehead, wishing desperately for a break.

I play with my hair ribbons as the teacher speaks.
I play with a rotten potato before tossing it on the gigantic bad crop pile.

I have a big sandwich for lunch and a piece of chocolate cake for dessert.
I get another piece of bread for lunch and a handful of oats for lunch at the fields.

I get home at five and play with my sister and then do some homework.
I get home at seven and tell my sister a story to get her to stop crying because she is hungry.

I eat a fancy dinner with many friends of my parents.
We share a plate of beans and a couple of carrots for dinner at the rackety table.

I read a chapter of my new book and fall asleep in my fluffy bed, with a chimney on.
I stare up at the cracked ceiling and shiver as the cold penetrates my sore body until I fall asleep.

I wake up the next day, and feel happy because it is Saturday and I don’t have school.
I wake up the next day and feel bad because it’s Saturday and now we have to work today too.

I play and read all day, and enjoy the meals with my whole family.
I pull weeds out all day, and try not to think about the muffled noises my stomach makes all day.

I watch happily as my mom cradles her newborn in her arms.
I cry sadly as my mom cradles my little dead brother in her arms.

Life is very good right now.
Life is miserable right now.

I wish...

I wish things were different, I really do. But they are not. There is nothing I can do about that. Every day I wake up at 6 and I hear the loud hum of the vacuum cleaner, my mom talking on the phone,my dad turning the morning paper, and the hose outside. Everything runs at full speed and the amount of things done in one day at my house is unbelievable. I wish we could be a united family. The three of us together, having fun. Not my mom talking to her friends about a party, my dad reading the newspaper and me pretending to be okay with it all. Somehow, they don’t notice that I’m not. It is just like if they didn’t know me, but how can I expect them to if we are never together. We used to be of course, until I was 10 and left for the boarding school in Switzerland. But now, six years after that, two after I came back home, they are like strangers. Not only to me. To themselves too. Constantly, I ask myself what I can do to improve the current family situation. Nothing comes to mind however. I have tried to talk to them about it. They don’t get it. Mom says I’m just paranoid, and that it is all because of adolescence. Dad says that my mind is running loose because of TV. They probably know it, but they ignore nonetheless because they don’t want to face it. They think that it will all be okay, that one day when we need to we will reunite. The time that we have been apart will not matter, they think. Today I wake up sadder than ever. It is my birthday. I just hope they will remember, maybe even do something special. The worst part is I don’t even know how it got like this. It was all perfect, maybe that was the problem. Nothing can be right for too long. I went off to school; my parents and I talked every night before that. Now, once a week is the maximum, and not once more. My birthday wish, for us to become friends again. For them to be together all the time, to tell each other everything. For me to know what they are thinking just by looking at their faces, and for them to do the same. Will it ever happen? I ask myself silently as I get dressed. I don’t know, but I hope so. I think I will talk to them again, tell them that every minute that we drift farther apart it makes it harder for us to come back together. I will try my best to make them understand. It is important. It is all I can think about right now, as I hear the gardener fix the lawn, the maid clean the house, my mom on the phone, the newspaper swooshing as my dad turns the page, and my own quiet sobs. I wish it gets better, I really do.

A little mental monolouge I wrote on a wave of feeling. Not really my style, but I liked it. Enjoy.

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far far away, there lived a beautiful princess. She was 20 years old, and in search of a husband, more for the sake of her parents than her own. The problem was she never had time to search for real. Every day she went out and helped the kingdom. She slayed dragons, she caught vandals, she would save princess that needed saving, and then she would return home, tired and hungry to find her parents nagging her about the husband search. She liked her life, it was normal, calm, and she thought a husband would just unbalance it. However, one day her grandmother came, and the next her grandfather, and the next her aunt, and one by one each family member came from all around to tell her that she needed a husband. There was nothing to do about it, she needed one fast. So on a sunny Friday afternoon, the princess told their parents she was leaving and would not be coming back until she found the man of her life. Her mother hugged her and told her that it was the right thing to do while her father rushed in the house and packed a dragon skin bag with some food and some clean clothes. After saying goodbye, the princess went outside, got on her white stallion, and rode like the wind. She traveled for days, meeting many princes, most of which she saved. None, nevertheless, seemed right for her. She killed two dragons, took three robbers to the king’s men, saved five damsels in distress (all of whom were disappointed that their savior had been a princess and not the blue blood prince they expected), and covered almost every corner of her fair kingdom. One day she reached an abandoned castle. It was dirty, the windows were shattered, and the flag that stood at the entrance was old and torn. As she circled it in her white steed she saw that in one small window all the way up there was a little shimmering light dancing with the wind. As brave as she was, she tied her horse to a tree and walked inside. Creeping down the spider web covered hallways she felt a pang of guilt run through her as she thought about the promise she had made to her parents. Halfway up the last stairway a troll jumped down at her and growled angrily. She knew trolls were not the brightest creatures, so she extracted her last piece of bread from her bag, and with a powerful twist of her wrist the slice flew far away. Just as she expected the clumsy beast ran off after it and she continued until she reached a little wood door, which she opened gingerly. Inside there was a long bed and a candle on the night table. A handsome young man laid on it sleeping peacefully. The princess walked over to him and shoved him softly. When nothing happened she repeated this with more strength. The prince did not stir. The princess bent her head and gave him a soft kiss, and the prince opened his eyes. She backed away and he thanked her earnestly. It was undeniable, it was love at first sight. They walked out of the palace and both climbed on the stallion that took them to her parents. They received the news happily, and arranged the wedding. The prince and the princess got married, and lived happily ever after.

Article on chariot race in ancient rome

Yesterday, one of the most astounding chariot races ever was witnessed by around 250,000 people in the Circus Maximums. This enormous building, 600 meters long and 200 meters wide, which is the host of the popular chariot races, was so full not even a needle could have fit inside it. Today the four teams (red, white, blue, and green) presented their best racers for this season’s final race. The crowd was going wild as the presenter, renown tragedy actor Anthony Apollonus, announced each team’s 3 chariots and their corresponding racers. Between these 12 talented racers were Gaius Apuleis for the red, Tulius Capano for the white, Marcius Brunos for the blue, and Octavius Vonetis for the greens. You could see the crowd dividing into color sections, everybody shifting around to get to the place that matched their team color, and thus their clothing shade.
The race started punctually at 3:30, when the judges dropped the handkerchief. Immediately, the rope that blocked the entrance of the 12 boxes that contained the 12 chariots fell. Out went the 12 chariots pulled each by 2 horses, the standard number of horses in important races. In a matter of seconds, the green team was in the lead with Octavius Vonetis. The green crowd went up like crazy, and a deafening roar erupted from the audience. Vonetis whipped his horses, and they sped up. Directly behind him, Marcius Brunos and Gaius Apuleis were struggling to pass him. Gaius Apuleis lashed his horses, and they picked up the speed, passing Vonetis. Instantly another part of the arena rose up and started hollering. Some of the green crowd started shouting foul words, and Apollonus directed the audience to calm down. Suddenly Apuleis’s chariot stopped and Marcius Brunos who was right behind him took the lead, causing the blue multitude to start jumping around. He was the first to complete the first lap, followed by the rest. Without warning, Tulius Capano sped up drastically right after crossing the starting point and completing the first lap. He became the first in line, and the otherwise quiet white swarm proved that they were not as shy as they had seemed. Capano remained showing the way for the next two laps. Then, a blue contestant named Pompius Rameius took the lead. Soon, however, he was outdone by Vonetis. He had an eager face, which was replaced by a face full of anger when Brunos came up to his side. Vonetis, full of rage, directed a nasty gesture towards Brunos, who’s answer to this was bumping the greens chariot and making it slow down. The blue mass started yelling, laughing, and making the same gestures at the green multitude, which responded in the same way. The audience became a big mess of shouting people and rude gestures, but then came the voice of the actor announcing that there were only 2 laps left and the attention turned back to the race. At that moment Apuleis was ahead of the concentration of chariots by abut four feet. At the end of this thick throng was the white racer Capano. He was going slower than he had at any time in the race, and he was being left behind. The white crowd exploded with shouts and scolding for their best racer, who pretended not to hear the upheaval coming from the tiers of seats. The red crowd began to laugh and point at the whites, and the blue and green swarms took no time to follow suite. Apollonus announced with eagerness that only one lap was left, and this made all of the crowd rise up and engage fully on the race. All of the chariots were struggling to increase their pace, but the horses were tiered after running six laps, and so the general tempo was decreasing. When about 300 meters were missing to the finish line, Capano pounded his whip against his horses, who furiously sped up, and started leaving others behind. As if by magic, a great gasp of fear arose from the arena, followed by a deafening howl and a noisy but coordinated pattern of claps coming from the white mob.
Capano crossed the finish line, and the whites went crazy. They launched a cheer Capano, Capano… In second place came Brunos, followed by Vonetis, and Apuleis came in fourth. Capano climbed down from the chariot with a wide smile spread across his face. He waved and waved and the white crowd hollered and waved back. Then Apollonus presented the award ceremony and handed the money and the cup to Capano, who received it fervently.
This season was one of the most enthusiastic chariot racing seasons of all times. We witnessed some of the most skilled racers, and the Circus Maximus made more profit than ever. It is clear that this sport is becoming a bigger attraction by the minute, and that it is what the Roman people like. The next chariot racing season will be coming soon! Stay tuned for more chariot races!!!!!!

If I could be an orchid

I hope I could be an orchid.
Only seeing the world once a year
And the rest of the year knowing that I would be safe inside my house.
Knowing that nothing could happen.
Knowing that someone is taking care of me in every single way
And when I come out people look at me with pride in their eyes
Amazed with my beauty.
Looking at me as if I was the last diamond in the world,
Or the biggest emerald that has ever existed.
People look at me admiring the soft white petals
The violet purple pollen
Even amazed with my pallid green leafs
Everyone only noticing my bright side.
Then I go back into my house
Knowing people are waiting for me to come out again.
If only I could be an orchid.

Story (part 5)

“Really, Rach, you should work at the circus.” Olivia promped. “But your outfit sounds great even if I don’t know what you just said.” Again everyone started laughing. Thay all knew and loved the fact the Olivia didn’t mind fashion much.
“My turn,” Madison announced happilypassing the sheet of paper around. “As you can see, I will be wearing this incredible Peter Som crinkled chiffon dress, touched up with a pair of patent calfskin black Dolce&Gabbana strappy sandals. My hair, I don’t know yet, maybe some spur of the moment kinda thing. Tada” She finished her hands stretched out. The girls all clapped and complimented Madison on her great taste. Olivia laughed to herself, even if she was not a fashion girl herself, she did appreciate all that one dress could tell you about one person. By seeing the print out she noticed that each dress matched its owners personality. Madison, for example, was the most outspoken of the five, and her dress was the most chancy. She predicted a classical but still lovely dress coming from her friend Hadley, and didn’t have to wait long as in that instant she passed the paper to Olivia whoe smiled at her correct guess.
“For tonight I have this classical but nonetheless amazing Vera Wang cream silk chiffon empire gown with spaghetti straps. My hair will be cascading down my shoulders in an even cut with very short bangs, I’m getting it cut right after this, and my shoes for tonight are a pair of Versace sandals. What do you think?” She opened her already huge eyes at each of the girls.
“If I can say so myself,” Olivia commented, “it is perfect. It says you all over it but it is classical and gorgeous at the same time.”
“I agree with Olive, totally” said Kristen.
Madison sat back down with a smile on her face and the girls began to talk about other thing while they ate some snacks. After half an hour. Hadley looked at her watch.
“Well girls, I have to go because I have an appointment at the doctor, but I will see you all tonight at the gala, where if I may add we will all be looking gorgeous and our escorts too.” She flipped her thing white clond hair blew them a kiss and after watching her friends whoop and clap she left.
“ I have to go too,” said Rachel. “K you’re coming with me remember, our parents wanted us to go to the tailor today.”
“Right,”Kristen said without much emotion. “I hate the tailor. Anyway, thanks for everything Olive. Love ya.” She took one last drink out of her blue smoothie, walked with Rachel to the door and kissed the air.
“Mad,” Verona questioned her friend, “we’re still going to the mall for some nail polishes and stuff right?”
“Of course we are,” Madison stated as if it were obvios.
“O you wanna come?” Verona smothed her hair as she asked.
“Thanks girls, but I have got to get some sleep if I want to stay awake tonight.”
“Oky, well then we will see you at seven.” Verona stated. The girls hugged goodbye and left, leaving Olivia sitting in the floor of her room alone, surrounded by half empty smoothies and empty plates. She looked around, smiled, and stretched herself out on the carpet, falling asleep within minutes.

Story (part 4) & Arts week

Story
“Definitely,” agreed Rachel with a big smile.
“Now me,” Verona begged. The girls got quiet and stared at the paper that their Italian friend’s fine hands turned over. “The newest Roberto Cavalli featuring this amazing black floor length jersey gown with a key whole opening at the front and a halter criss cross top. Topped off with a silver Gucci clutch and my favorite Louis Vuitton Black heels.” smugness crept into Verona’s face as she waited for her friend’s response. A loud thunder of clapping and whooping gave her the certainness she needed, and a giant smile grew on her sophisticated visage. Olivia sighed, knowing that the opening in the front of the dress would make her look slutty, but it would look nothing of the sort when her busty and tanned friend put it on.
“Okay,” she droned. “You guys, I hate you all. I know I say this at every wardrobe check, but I so don’t have the fashion gene in me. You all have these great outfits, and I just have this.” She turned her piece of paper over and waited.
“Oh Olive, its adorable. Really, I don’t get all the drama,” Hadley pressed her. “BCBG Maw Azira is totally decent, and I’m sure it would look amazing on you.”
“Totally right, Had, Olive you’ll look great in it, trust us. We wouldn’t lie to you. Plus, you really do have a great taste.” Barbara assured her friend.
“Fine, I believe you, shoes and purse will be picked last minute.” The room erupted with giggles, and then when they finally came down Rachel motioned for attention.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,” she barked with a fake circus master voice. “The beautiful Rachel Johnson will be wearing her hair in salon fabricated dark brown curls, a pair of lovely Marc Jacobs, open toe, strap over vamp, blue sandals; and an incredible Vera Wang lavender silk shantung evening gown.” She bowed gracefully, her dark maroon hair cascading towards the floor.

Arts Week
Arts week is an excellent opportunity to learn a lot while enjoying ourselves. For centuries people have been expressing their feelings and showing what is going on around them by creating art, and for this reason exploring the art of a culture can tell us a lot about it. It started with the caves paintings, some of which still stand today, then we saw Roman, Greek, and Egyptian painting. After this was a period of religious art, then the renaissance, and after that it has kept on evolving with each generation. The week from March three to seven CNG is going to be presenting expositions, shows, dances, sculptures, music, poetry, and other forms of art to the community. It is a wonderful chance to understand a lot about people and their way of thinking, but the audiences have to be paying attention and have to be listening to what is going on. Today we had a festival of Colombian Folklore with people from different schools from Bogota. It was very pretty and we were able to see many different dances from all over Colombia. We witnessed different displays of the colorful and lively Mapale; we saw some Joropo, some Bambuco, Cumbia, and the classical yet festive Festival de Barranquilla. I hope that as the week progresses we will continue to see the wonderful display of talented artists we witnessed today.