Desert Flower.

In religion class we have been learning all about gender equality. A great example to show how to get equality is in the movie Desert Flower. This is the life story of the famous model Waris Dirie. Here she is: 





Waris had a hard life. She grew up in Somalia looking after sheep and goats. When she was 3 years old she was genitally mutilated. When she was 12 or 13, she was going to be sold off to an old man to marry him, for a camel. In Somalia at this time young girls were an equal trading price of one camel. Shocking. Waris decided to run away to the city where she was then sent to the UK to work in the Somalian embassy over there. 
She found a new friend and got a job in a fast food restaurant where she was discovered by one of the top fashion photographers at that time. He was drawn to her beauty and approached her. She accepted his offer and joined a model agency. As Waris was working her way up in the modelling business, she still had struggles. She faced deportation and quickly married a friend of hers so she could remain in the UK. She also became quite ill and learnt that the way she had been treated (getting genitally mutilated) was not right and that it doesn't happen to everyone. She was angry and upset. When she became a very successful model, she used her fame to speak out against gender inequality and let her incredible story out to the world so that everyone would know what was really going on. Since,  she has been campaigning very hard and Female Genital Mutilation has been banned in Somalia. 
When you think about all the work one woman has done, it would be amazing to see what could be done if gender equality is accepted and practised universally. This story is inspirational and educational. I learnt a lot from watching the movie and I would definitely recommend that everyone watches it at some stage, or reads the book!

My return to Primrose

*Just realised that this was never published and has been sitting in my drafts for about a month! Woops.

For my first week in work experience I went back to my old primary school, which is school for children aged around 5 to 12. I had some great years in Primrose Hill and I was very excited to be heading back there. I was working mainly with Junior and Senior Infants. They kept me entertained for the week with their endless stories. I mainly just checked their homework in the morning and walked around helping them while they did their work. I had to supervise at lunch time and help them pack up at home time. I missed being in Junior Infants when the biggest stress you had was whether or not everyone could fit in the play house together. With only 4 other girls in my class at the time, it was usually very possible! I was working with all my old teachers but it was actually kind of fun because they weren't giving out and were being really nice. I only noticed then how much I had grown up since leaving primary school. 
It was Science Week so we had lots of fun doing cool experiments with the infant classes. They got so excited and found everything so interesting. When they went home early I went to help 2nd and 3rd class with their science projects. They were working on circuits and designed lighthouses with working lights. I was very impressed because the kids seemed to know what they were doing without my help or the teacher's.
I did an interview with one of the teachers and I found out that a lot more goes into teaching a class than just what goes on during class time. A teacher  must plan every minute of a class and make lots of schedules and plans. I had noticed during the week how organised the teacher was and I wondered when she even had time to decorate the class with all the educational posters and different paintings. She told me you have to be a very organised, patient and energetic person to be a primary school teacher. I really enjoyed my week and I'm now considering teaching as a future career. :)

Inequality

"  Maya
        You are fifteen years of age and live in the Bronx area of New York. Your Mom is a single parent and tries to make ends meet by cleaning houses and living on welfare. Your neighbourhood is pretty dangerous and you don't feel safe at night. You try to work hard at school but it is hard when the school is run down and overcrowded.  
                                                                                                                      "
In religion class we are discussing the millenium goals and in particular gender equality. We did an excercise to look at the treatment of females in different countries around the world. A series of statements were read out, and if the statement applied to you, you took a big step forward. If it kind of applied to you, you took a little step and if it did not apply to you then you stood still. 
The person I was assigned was Maya. When I first read my bit of paper I thought she had a hard life. As the excercise went on, I was taking steps the whole way. At the end, I was fourth from the top. As I passed people by I felt bad for them, for leaving them behind and I wondered why everyone else wasn't moving too? The excercise showed me that there is extreme inequality and unjust treatment going on in other countries. I learned that Ireland is a very well-off country and we shouldn't take our rights for granted. I am much more understanding now of women and girls in third-world countries. I feel bad that they don't get to receive an education or even to feel safe in their homes.
We all need to try help pull up the people who are being left behind.

Juno & the *cue Dublin accent* Paycock

We all headed into Dublin City on Wednesday for a very English day. We got the bus first thing in the morning, no messing about with classes or the likes :) Of course us fódlians had to go on our beloved mini bus and we set off in the hopes that one of our texts would reach Spin 1038 and they'd play our requested song.
First stop, the National Library. It was unfortunate we couldn't go into the actual library with actual books and things you would expect to see? So we stayed in the display room checking out different random facts and having a read through the guest book to see where all the people who visited the library had hailed from. 
Next was the National Museum. I had never been before so I was overwhelmed by the amount of historical artefacts in the huge room, and I didn't know where to look first. There was lots of things from Irish history which I thought was great because you always want to know what people did in Ireland before us. They wore huge cloaks called mantles and I was surprised to find out they even locked their houses with these little wooden keys. I found the Egyptian exhibition very interesting. It reminded me of all the stories I used to hear and movies and cartoons I used to watch growing up. It was weird when I was looking at the coffins of ancient Egypt and knowing there was actually a mummies in there, real, deceased Egyptians! I then started thinking of the film Night at the Museum and decided it was time to get out of there :L The most memorable element of the museum was the bog bodies for sure. These were bodies which had been buried in the bogs of Ireland, only to be preserved. The skin turned to leather and a kind of crépe paper looking constituent? The ginger hair remained on their heads and their teeth and nails remained in tact. 

This hand had been preserved  and kept the same size as it always would have been. The nails were still apparent.

This guys hair remained in perfect condition on his head. I remember he also had a  bit of a beard too!

We went to a W.B. Yeats exhibition. He was one of the greatest Irish writers. He wrote The Lake Isle of Inisfree, which (I don't know about anyone else) I had to learn off by heart back when I was in primary school. I was told it was a very important poem and Yeats was a very important man. So far in my life, this poem has helped me.. in no way at all. -.- Was it a waste of time? Totally! Naah I'm sure I can find a use for that little bit of knowledge I have :P So apparently Yeats was in love with this young'un called Modde Gonne. Why, I do not know, but he did have quite the obsession :/ He wrote most of his plays and poems based about her and his feelings towards her.

One McChicken Sandwich, fries and an Oreo Shakeaway later, we set off for the historical Abbey Theatre (a.k.a. National Theatre of Ireland) which has had many of Yeats' plays performed there in the past. The scheduled show for Wednesday was Juno and the Paycock by Sean O'Casey, another of Ireland's great  playwrights. What a coincidence was it that we had all studied this play in class? :o Well, really it was a highly planned out trip by our three English teachers; Ms C, Ms G and Ms B. (Much thanks and appreciation for them!)

The play is set during the 1920's in Dublin, when there was war and havoc in Ireland. (At this time the rest of the world were happily dancing away to the Charleston). The Boyle family are living in the tenements and are getting on with life as Juno takes care of the whole family. Her husband 'the Captain' will moan about the pains in his legs any time there is a chance of him getting a job. The family do however come into a lot of money and are happy indulge. It all comes quickly crumbling down though, when it turns out the papers giving them all this dosh was filled out incorrectly. By this time it is too late and they are in waaay over their heads in debt. Meanwhile, little do we know, the children of this family have secrets of their own.

SPOILER AHEAD! :

Mary's boyfriend, Bentham, has done a runner to England, and she is left, none other than pregnant. Poor Johnny, with his broken hip and his missing arm, was having terrible visions and was unexplainably nervous and afraid all the time. This all became clear when two men visited the house to take him away. He was a traitor. He gave information about his 'best friend' who had been killed. Johnny's body was then found later on. Juno was left to cope with all this family drama, and 

"the world in a terrible state of chassis".

It was a great day out altogether! :D 

And thanks again Ms L for letting me fly off to my next class! (Life Saver!!)

What's the Obsession?

-Blog Action Day!

I think the best way of explaining how much food is such a big part of our lives is shown in the movie Over The Hedge. It shows how nearly everything we do is to do with food...

It's funny because it makes you think about how much food is actually a part in your life, whether you like it or not. Food can sometimes control your emotions, e.g. if you get your favourite food you become happier and if you're eating something truly rotten it could put you in a bad mood :( Sometimes people can crave or desire certain foods.

 -chocolate   -ice cream   -crisps   -milkshakes   -chicken rolls (yummm)   etc etc..

Here in Ireland we take food for granted, because there's a shop on every corner full of food, drinks and more sweets than you can imagine. However in some poor countries, food is a luxury, and you'd be lucky to get your hands on some. Think about how much we moan about hunger the class before lunch, just waiting for the bell to go. In these third world countries the hunger would be ten times worse, and the people there are never even guaranteed food. They work very hard to produce most of their own food or else they'd have to travel very far to reach it.
We need to sit up and take action! This can't go unnoticed and we all need to do our part. Many charities such as Trócaire and Concern have had tonnes of support in the past, but there is still an ongoing problem of hunger and poverty around the world, so it's never to late to donate and help the cause.


What to do now? Get Going And Think About What You Can Do To Make A Difference! 


(The next thing you'll probably do when you've finished reading this post is go to the fridge/cupboard to get your favourite snack, just because you've been thinking about food so much lately. Well, Enjoy! )

Educating Essex Analysis :B

In religion we've been watching videos of a TV show called Educating Essex. It's based on real life in a school in Essex as the cameras follow a handful of students and document their regular school lives. However it didn't seem like a normal school, with the number of bullying situations going on. Even the head girl was being bullied! She was getting disturbing anonymous texts and was getting really scared. It turned out to be a joke by her so-called 'friends'. This joke turned out to have serious consequences, which makes you realise you should always think twice before pressing SEND! There was also an ongoing incident between two boys who were always trying to wind each other up. One of the boy's mothers was encouraging her son to hit the other boy. BAD INFLUENCE MUCH!? It goes to show that you shouldn't always do what your parents tell you to do.. :P Well not when you know thet they are wrong anyway.

Final note : Bullying is NOT Cool! -.-

Everybody Dance Now! *Fistpump*

Fun walk success! Last Friday we performed our routine for the entire school, and everyone loved it :D We did the songs Absolutely Everybody and Everybody Dance Now to tie in with friendship week and show that everybody is included. We all arrived in our very own Kaza's Wheels, custom made to look like Ms O'C's yellow mini cooper! It could have been the best run through we had ever done and we couldn't hel but to smile cheesily :) Our finale was EPIC (yes, I said epic.). At one end Rebecca was lying across other girls, Aoibheann doing the same at the other end, in the centre Emily was standing on two peoples hands, she fell back and when we caught her we swung her a couple times. On one side of that Emma jumped up and fell down into the girls and on the other the girls made a small pyramid. It will be a hard dance to beat for Ms O'C's class next year..



Aoibheann's lift

 

Kaza's Wheels


Oh and congratulations to Banba who won the chocolate bars.. Good job :)



  

One more week! :D

Fm104, one of the top radio stations in Dublin, who I will be working with very soon! xD, will be hosting a gig in aid of the ISPCC (Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children). There will be some brill acts there like Olly Murs, Royseven, The Original Rudeboys and Aslan!! :o Mostly I'm looking forward to seeing BRESSIE!! <3 He used to play in the band The Blizzards but has chosen to go solo for now.

These are a couple of his songs, Can't Stay Young (Forever) and Good Intentions. :D

And here's The Original Rudeboys, who I have just recently come across and can't seem to get them out of my head! :)

Can't Wait!! xD

Stuffs to do over the next week:

1) Tomorrow is the long awaited fun walk! TYs are yellow :D I'm sure I can fish something out of the wardrobe. The rivalry between the three classes will be over as we dance for a chance of winning a chocolate bar each.. It'll be so worth it :) Our dance is coming along, but we still need a lot of practice! I wish I could say what we're doing because it's very exciting, but for now it's top secret ;) Our class, Fódla's tutor, Ms O'C, is very competitive and really wants to beat Mr L and his class Banba. Can't wait to see Eriú too, they seem very excited about it :P

2) Babysitting this weekend will consist of me doing music research for class watching the X-factor, the live shows :D I will be supporting Frankie Cocozza <3 and James Michael - he has great hair. ;D Johnny Robinson is also a hero :P (not really anything to do with school but it'll be all anyone is talking about until it's over at Christmas :L)


3) I'll hopefully get round to seeing The Lion King in 3D, back out in cinema after 17 years! even though I'm sure the original will always be waaay better xD Could possibly have been one of the first movies I ever watched, and one of the best :P Don't know what kids these days are watching if they haven't got the likes of what we had back in the day? For Home Ec we're doing a lion king themed costume so it will inspire us :) :L


4) Hmm.. I must make some sort of conscious effort to do a bit of my Geography / Irish / Science / French projects before it's too late. There's so much to do! On top of daily or weekly assignments we have these projects to do and then all the things to do after school. TY is not as easy as I thought it would be... but it is even better than I though it would be! :)


5)  Another minicompany workshop yolk next Wednesday. We need to have some actual work done and be able to show it in case O asks us anything! :S I'll also have to try and figure out how to get from the workshop to a hockey match to help coaching with the 2nd years, first match of the year. GOOD LUCK GIRLS!! 


I probably have a lot more things to do over the next week, but this is just about all I can think of now..

Mini Company

So we really need to get started on mini company. We haven't had a lot of Fresh ideas for our mini company to run with. We're not feeling very motivated or inspired :( We've got an idea about little lights now and we're getting information on that. We had our first Mini company module last Thursday and St. Wolstan's girls definitely mad an impression, especially with us taking up 5 rows and the other schools only 1 each. There were lots of great ideas flying around that morning. A group from another school were thinking of doing pocket socks and they had everything pretty much planned out and organised. It made me think I should really hurry up the deciding on the product process. The girls in my group elected me Managing Director of  our company. I don't mind as long as we have a good product that we can put in lots of effort and work into. All the girls also got different roles in the company such as finance manager, production manager and sales and marketing manager.
What we've heard most about when Mini Company is brought up with past TYs, is that there are LOTS of fights. We haven't had one.. yet. I'm anxiously awaiting it just so we can get it over with and continue on! We went over to Meg's to see if we could get any work done, but we just ate AMAZING buns. Meg's a great baker :D We managed to write 3 sentences for our proposal and printed off our survey. If anyone out there's interested in getting a light to fit around your keyhole, to solve your ongoing problem in the dark, contact us at illuminateminico@gmail.com .