To Be Or Not To Be?

Briana Chang

The question replayed over and over in my mind when I thought about what kind of school I should attend.  Should I stay home where I have a safety net if I get too stressed out about work, the community, or events, or should I expose myself entirely into a new culture?  I chose boarding school because I wanted a new experience, a new awakening into what the world would be like without my parents.  It’s a big trust exercise: Your parents will have to trust that you will make the right decisions and you have to trust the community within your school so that if anything happens you will not have to confront the issue on your own.  Doing your research and visiting the school before you enroll plays a big part in your selection.  When deciding the type of school you want to attend you should consider:

• Talking with your parents about boarding school; listing pros and cons
• Meeting the guidance counselor of your school of choice
• The disciplinary actions taken at the school
• Asking students who attend the school about big events on campus

Put an End to the Petting

Briana Chang

Afrocentric flair or dread swaying hair styles, waving in sets or crazy crackling curls, silky straight or permed; we all have different hair types.  Raised in a place where your hair is the norm, it can be difficult to move into a new environment and the move can be a culture shock for not only you but to the people around you. There may be few who can relate to your hair treatment methods and people in your new surroundings  may be curious about your hair.  Some people may have the audacity to touch it as though your hair were their own.  Overwhelmed with curiosity, your new found friends may not notice that they are being disrespectful but its okay, tell them how you feel, and say “Please do not touch my hair.“ They should respect that.   

"Who Cut the Cheese?"

Briana Chang

Flatulence, or just using the bathroom, was a big problem for me at boarding school. “Ladies don’t do those things,” or at least not when anyone is around. The words circled my thoughts whenever I had to use the bathroom so I had to find a few nooks around the cranny.  If you are in desperate need of releasing flatulence, and are worried as I was, I would suggest:

• Making a similar noise with your mouth.  This will help if no one is quite sure where the sound is coming from
• Go into a deserted area (be sure to check if people are around)
• While you are taking a shower; the water is pretty loud
• Just do it!

Everyone passes gas at some point.  Hopefully there comes a point in time when you don’t care what other people think and realize that flatulence is a normal bodily function. Everyone does it, it’s apart of a healthy lifestyle.

Quit Wasting Time!

Like most students, I had a serious issue with procrastination. I would receive an
assignment a week in advance and would wait until two days before it was due to begin
working on it. Once high school hit and I decided to take part in several activities, I
realized that procrastination just wasn’t my friend, so I thought about changing my ways.
I found that by creating a schedule, I could organize myself enough so that
procrastination had no time to invade on my life. Some people feel the need to
procrastinate; if you are someone of that nature then have no fear! You can be helped
as well. Plan procrastination into your schedule. Commit to being focused on your
assignment for as long as you can and set aside 15-20 minutes to do a physical activity
in solitude with a pen and paper at your side. You want to be working your body to get
your heart pumping and sending oxygen to your brain. You also to produce space for
thinking to expand on the ideas you already have. Attacking procrastination is a difficult
thing to commit to but once you get in the habit of doing it, procrastination just might

become your friend.