Kayla's Corner

I don't know how it is in other countries, but in America, greetings are a part of life just like flushing the toilet or saying "bless you" when someone sneezes. They require little effort and are the polite thing to do. Polite speech is not only what we are taught from a young age to interact with others but it also eliminates the uncomfortable interactions that Americans have become weary of. Imagine checking out at a grocery store and the cashier saying absolutely nothing. You stand there in awkward silence and when you finally grab your bags to walk out, you don't even get a "have a nice day". It's hard to picture, if you ask me because I've never experienced it and I'm guessing you haven't either. Polite speech is second nature and even though there is an underlying understanding that neither of us care how the other person is actually doing because we will probably never see each other again, we still spit out the "how are...

     I began my school career at Bemis, a well designed school where the classrooms surrounded the large and extensive library that was packed with thousands of books that we could read at are liking. There was a gym that we visited every tuesday and thursday where we played games. There was a large art room which was by far my favorite. We went every wednesday and got to make bowls out of clay and masks with feathers and beads. We put on plays and musicals on the stage which is way smaller then I remember. We had three recesses a day on our recently remodeled playgrounds that featured swings, slides, twisty chairs, jungle gyms, and much more that made school seem like one big playdate with all my friends. At the time, my mother had recently got a teaching degree and began working at a school in southfield. And one day she brought me with her. When I pictured the school I imagined one almost identical to Bemis with large playgrounds and TVs that displayed the students and...

NEW YORK CITY-- Following the Environmental summit last week, former royals, Harry and Meghan hopped on a private jet back to canada. During the short 1 hour flight, the ex-royals announced a new environmental organization they would be starting. The new foundation called, Clean Air is the New Air, is set up to help tackle the ever growing air pollution problem. Information on how to cut back on air pollution can be found on the website. However, some of these include going vegan, walking everywhere, and becoming a Nudist. All which are very feasible for most and highly recommended. Harry recently tweeted "We can only defeat the obstacle of air pollution if we work together" he received thousands of comments and retweets even one form Kim Kardashian who promised to only take her private jet if the destination was more than an hour away because she would do anything to save the earth, even if that resulted in having to fly in a plane with others. Fellow celebrity and activist...

A tribe known as the "Nacirema" take part in truly unbelievable rituals that have recently been studied by myself and my colleagues. However, I will only be sharing one of these wonders today. It was early this past year when we first witnessed the remarkable practice taking place. This ritual mainly taken part in by the women of the tribe and ever so rarely by the men is truly a sight to see. It begins when the women of the tribe enter their teens years (for the men, I am not aware of the age). It was made known to me that the ritual is not quit a daily occurence, but changes depending on the person. It starts with the women entering the shrine which is made of solid stone and filled with holy water that rids the tribal women of their impurities. The women first take out the sharp blade and magical potion that will be used during the process. These sacred materials can be found at any of the many Tramlaws or Regorks, as it is necessary for all women to take part in this ritu...

This past week in class we read an essay describing the duties expected of a wife. It listed all the ridiculous things society expects "wives" to possess. But what if it was switched. What if it was "I want a husband"? I want a Husband. A tall, muscular, wealthy man who carries me across the threshold of our new home that he bought for us on our wedding day. He will have to be athletic so he can be the little league coach for our children's soccer, baseball, and any other sport  I desire teams. He will have to have a good job that makes at least six figures so we can go on regular vacations and live a comfortable life. He will be a handy man. He will be able to fix anything broken, the car, toilet, furnace, you name it. He will always ask about my day with out getting asked first. He will be a big family man, always taking time to play with our kids. He will do all the yard work, mowing, weeding the garden, raking leaves, and shoveling the drive way so I  don...

When we think of ourselves in the future, and i'm not talking 10 or 20 years from now I mean like 40 or 50 years, we can hope we had a successful job, loving family, and now are living out our retirement somewhere warm with our spouse and 2 golden retrievers. With only our plans for the day and our many grandchildren on our mind. In reality, although some of this may be true we tend to forget a very important aspect, at that ripe old age, we won't have the agility and sharpness we had some decades ago. Instead, unless you age like fine wine, you will probably be reading the sunday morning paper behind thick glasses that make your eyes appear 3 times larger, the volume of the tv will be kept at the maximum setting, and it might take a few tries to get up off the couch where you will then use a cane, walker, or wheelchair to get around. The truth is although we hope we will maintain the spunkiness of teenagers into old age, it doesn't work like that. Author Nancy Mairs provid...

People are molded by the world around them–The people who raise them, their friends, the town they live in. All of these factors influence who they become, how they act, and how they see the world. For example a child raised in poverty is going to see the world differently then one raised in wealth. And someone raised with a loving family will not be the same as someone raised in a broken home. These are just a few of the many factors that can cause a change from one person to the next. In the book, The Nickel Boys, Elwood, the main character, was said to “talk like a white college boy” unlike the rest of the African Americans at the academy. Elwood was raised to strive for a good education, he went to school, and enjoyed learning. Whereas the other boys weren’t. This was shown when Elwood first entered school at Nickel, and all the other boys slept and goofed off during class instead of learning. This led to the difference in the way they talked and acted. Most of the boys at Nickel A...