WHY?s Up: The Last Day (Unofficial WHY?s Up Post)

.:*So Sad...*:.

(...about the last day)

So today is the offcial last day (well, hour really) of the WHY?s Up Oakland postsession; it's a very bittersweet ending. Sweet in that Summer Break is finally here; bitter in that we're not going anywhere tomorrow! Aww... but it's not the end of this blog! I'll still be posting about random stuff, and you can count on the Square Bear Rants to continue.

So in saying that I would like to say a few of thank you's:

• Mr. Lee and Mrs. Fitzgerald: for making this postsession possible in the first place, and also for taking us to new places (and familiar ones), and getting us to think critically about our enviornment. Oh, and for taking us to eat at places we would never even think of trying.
• Mr. Lee: for lending me a dollar for the bus yesterday.
• Beatriz: for offereing a piece of her sandwhich to me, even though I couldn't eat it because I was sick, and also for asking people if they could give us an interview when she was in my group in Chinatown.
• All the group Interviewers: they probably all said that they were never going to be the interviewer as well, but they did it anyway.

Yeah, that's it. Did if forget anyone?

WHY?s Up: Alameda

Alameda was pretty boring, in my opinion. There really wasn't that much to do, and I nearly went insane because of it. I only became excited when I saw this HUGE dog (the owner said she was a Bosnian sheep dog or something)! She was so pretty. It made me want to get a dog just like her.

We also went to the Alameda beach...yeah, I don't like the water. So you know what I did? I dug a hole. No, I dug TWO holes. That's how bored I was. The only fun part was when Olivia and Yesenia fell in the water, then it was not fun anymore.

Then I found out we were near a Borders (I practically live there, no joke). But here's the thing: NO ONE TOLD ME UNTIL WE WERE ABOUT TO LEAVE!!! I could have gone there, and then I would have had something nice to write about! But nooooooooooo! Let's all tourture Jackie!

*%$#@!

WHY?s Up: Personal Growth (Part 1)

.:*Square Bear*:.

(Grr)

During this entire postsession, everyone has had to go beyond their comfort zone, one way or another. Myself included. When I found out that we were going to have to interview people, my immediate response was, "I'm never going to be the interviewer in which ever group I'm in." As of this moment, I've been the interviewer at least 3 times already (I don't know why I make promises to myself that I don't keep). But it's more than just going up to people; it's gaining confidence in yourself.

But it's not only the confidence building that's happened; you're becoming a more well rounded person by maybe trying new foods, or going into a community that makes you feel uncomfortable (and trying not to show it). Like for me, the Walnut Creek trip totally freaked me out because I wasn't used to that sort of enviornment, but I know next time what to expect and can feel somewhat more at ease than I was before. Maybe.

Anyway, now I don't feel as awkward as I did before going up to people and asking if I can interview them (though when it comes to the actual questioning, I still can't get the robot out of me...(T.T)). But feel a lot better about this postsession than when it first started...so yeah. YAY!

WHY?s Up: Lake Shore (Oakland)

.:*Lake Shore*:.

Yesterday the WHY?s Up crew went to the Lake Shore area of Oakland. The interviewing experience we had yesterday was probably the best yet. We had approximately a 0% rejection rate! (But that's probably because we were doing food, and people don't mind getting interviewed about food). However, that doesn't mean we got all six of our interviews; we lost time because we were waiting for someone at the Jenny Craig to come out so we could interview them. Oh well...

.:*Yogurt Deluxe*:.

(Bleh)

Anyway, before we did any of our interviewing, we had lunch. My friend and I went to Yougurt Deluxe. Bad experience for me. They use Dryer's ice cream... and it sucks. I got a green tea ice cream milk shake, and it did not taste good. It tasted kind of sour actually (but maybe that came from the fresh milk that they use; I've never had fresh milk before, so I don't know how it tastes). Their green tea shake has nothing on the one that I can get at Lord's Ice Cream in Castro Valley (now they make their own ice cream).

.:*A Rose*:.

(Rock Sculpture by Rick Botto)

Later, as a bonus we went to the Rose Garden (I didn't even know Oakland had a Rose Garden). On our way there we saw some awesome rock art by one Mr. Rick Botto (I believe that was his name). It was funny how me met him; we were just admiring the art when we hear, "That's some cool sh*t, huh?" I love it when older people use bad language. Makes them "cooler" in our eyes, I guess. Anyway, we get to the Rose Garden, and I'm just stunned by all the beautiful roses (they're one of my favorite flowers). So I take my camera, and I probably have enough pictures to make my own Home and Garden Magazine. I even got a picture of a squirrel. It was a fun day.

.:*Squirrel*:.

(Aw!!)

P.S.-All pictures were taken by yours truely

WHY?s Up: Farmer's Market and Peddle Boating (Oakland)

.:*Lake Merritt*:.

(Lake Merritt at night)

So on Friday the WHY?s crew went to Old Oakland (which is in the downtown area) to go to the Farmer's Market that is held there every Friday (since I've only been to the one on Fruitvale, I was expecting a HUGE crowd, but it wasn't as congested; don't get me wrong though, there were a lot of people). There was a lot of produce, music, clothes, food, and jewlery stands. My favorite was the one where they were selling these giant (okay, not giant) cookies; one bag, which contains 3 cookies is $3, but then they give you an extra bag of cookies (well, at least they did to me), so they cookies end up being 50 cents each! "Yay!" for bargins!

While we were over there, my friends and I went to this sushi place; and it's too bad that I don't remember the name, because the sushi was freakin' awesome! Well priced too (depending on what kind of sushi you get of course).

Also, Friday was our "Fun day", so the teachers took us peddle boating in Lake Merritt. It was super special awesome! In the boat, it was Delilah, Mr. Lee, and myself (of course). Delilah and I were peddling our little vessel along, while Mr. Lee was "sterring" (if you can even call it that) and taking video and pictures. Otherwise, he only helped out with the peddling when we felt like going "Turbo". It was uber fun. I even told my mom that we should do it together (espcially since she practically lives in Lake Merritt; she's always walking around the lake). :D

WHY?s Up: Rockridge (North Side Oakland)

.:*Map Thing (YAY!)*:.

(It's on here somewhere)

Okay, so if I'm being honest here I really thought that Rockridge was going to look like...well, Fruitvale really. I didn't even know that Rockridge was right next to Berkley until the day of the trip! When I first got there I thought, "...We're back in Walnut Creek." But after spending sometime, you start to see a lot of the "ghetto-ness"; so it's more like a combination between Fruitvale and Walnut Creek. There are a lot of white people, but you saw a lot of minorites there too (40% minority and 60% white...I'm guessing).

It was definately a lot cleaner in Rockridge than in Fruitvale, I'll give them that. There are also a lot of stores and restaurants (my favorite was the bakery; they give free samples...too bad I don't remember the name. Oh well, we have it on video). It seemed very quiet over there, too. However, a friend of mine did say she saw some kids slappin' some music hela loud, so...yeah, it wasn't that unsettiling over there, like Walnut Creek was (I felt really out of place there, and I'm white!).

It was cool, though. We interviewed this one guy; Asian and realy cute. I love Asian guys, but I digress. He had this cast oon his leg, so naturally, I asked him about. He and his friends were "wall running"' (don't ask me what that is, I don't know. I only know that it's some martial art's thing), and he fell on his leg wrong. Super. Special. Awesome. If only he was a little younger...*sigh* (-_-)

WHY?s Up: My Trip to Chinatown

.:*Oakland's Chinatown*:.

(An ethinic enclave full of wonder sights, smells, and sounds)

Initially, my perceptions about Chinatown were very simple ones, like "There's Chinese people there," and things like that. But really Chinatown is just more about the kind of people that live there; there's so much cultural and energy there that you can't help but be swept up in it (or maybe that's just me since I have a thing for everything Asian). Chinatown, for me, is like a Christmas present; there's so much anticipation to open it up and find out all it's mysteries. I really wish we could have stayed there longer (and I really wish that I had brought some extra spending money; there's so much cute stuff over there \(*^o^*)/)

As far as surprises go, we saw a lot of different kinds of food that others might think is pretty disgusting. But when you think about it, we all eat things that others would think are slightly strange or disgusting (my favorite kind of meat just happens to be cow tongue...mmm yummy!). Also, I found out that Oakland has an Asian Center. That really surprised me; and a lot of the other students as well. I'll have to go back there soon. (Yay, personal field trip!)

For me, the only difference between Fruitvale and Chinatown was the ethinicity between the people: Fuitvale is full of Latinos and Chinatown is full of Asian (mostly Chinese) people. Which also means that the cultural bachground in each place is different; but to me, they really aren't. The people who live in these places now, came there because their ancestors wanted to have a community in the United States where they were around others with the same kind of background. So yeah, to me I don't really see that much of a difference (but that's just me I guess; I see everyone connected in some way or another).

WHY?s Up: Garbage on the Fruitvale Streets

.:*Yummy*:.

(Unfortunately in Oakland, this kind of thing is a very common sight.)

Our school, Life Academy of Health and Bioscience, is conviently located near a Jack-In-The-Box, a Pollo Loco, and of course, a McDonald's (the King of all Greasiness! Bow down before the McDonald's almighty power...then order some fries with your unwavering loyalty to the beef patty! Muwahahaha!) Sorry, got a little carried away there. Anyway, while we were walking around the area near our school, looking for random pieces of garbage in our community (which was not that hard, considering that where ever you turn, you'll find your self knee-deep in garbage...well in most areas). We found a lot, and I mean A LOT of fast food...stuff on the streets. It's pretty pathetic if you ask me, because when you think about it, it's like were helping to advertise fast food to people.

Think about it: you're walking down the street, and you're feeling kind of hungry. "I'll just make something when I get home," you tell yourself. But then, you kick and empty McDonald's cup (which just might be the one in this picture, you never know), and then suddenly, you don't want to wait until you get home to eat something; you're hungry now. Oh, and look! McDonald's just happens to be conviently located across the street from where you are right now! "You know what? I think I'm gonna get me a BigMac. I don't care if one bite of that thing takes off ten years of my life; I'm hungry." Then you die of a heart attack at age 44, and your last dieing thought was, "I should've gotten a gym club membership."

The End.

("Muwahahaha!" - McDonald's Cooperation)