The Most Valuable Piece of Paper



When we were reading Blue White Read by Alain Mabanckou and the passage about Massala-Massala guarding the French housing permit it was thought provoking thinking about the idea of a piece of paper that we consider important in our lives. If I had to personally choose a piece of paper that I held dearly it would be my old high school and ID cards. Although it is not a singular piece of paper and more plastic than anything I have had these cards in my wallet since the summer before High School started when I participated in a summer accelerated program. The first has a picture of my right before high school and the second ID is right at the end of my Sophomore year. They seem like worthless pieces of plastic at first glance but for me they serve as records of my maturity throughout the years. Additionally, they are a way of remembering my high school and all the people that supported me throughout those four years of my life. Whenever I reflect on my current state in life and the opportunities that are in front of me by just being at a place like Notre Dame, it helps to look back to those ID cards in order to ground myself and give credit where credit is due.

The last two summers I was able to do service work first at a summer camp in the Bronx and then at an underprivileged high school in Newark New Jersey. It was during these times that looking at my old ID cards allowed me to recognize how similar the kids in front of me were to my picture in the card. The worthless pieces of plastic helped me realize the importance of providing the same support I received to the children in front of me.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thing 11, Foreign Aid, Paternalism, and Africa

In class yesterday something very interesting was stated by either Ashley, Manuel, or Professor Douthwaite Viglione on the topic of foreign aid and how it is actually harmful to some developing nations. Thing 11 (Africa is not destined for underdevelopment) piqued my interest because this topic comes up so much when discussing global development. The greatest issue with how the media portrays foreign aid and the "wonderful" picture that they paint of poverty is that it is not a complete depiction of what the issue actually is. The issue of poverty is far too complex to mark it as something clear-cut, or “black or white” that can be solved systematically with a “quick fix” such as volunteers coming in and heroically fixing every issue that plagues a country. Social problems are not "one-time" issues to be conquered and that's that, rather they are often cyclical and reoccuring. So when celebrities travel to these countries and show videos of the barren land and...
Read more

A tie in to my art talk and sending out hopeful messages

María Mendoza - Blog post 1 Last week during my art talk, I really wanted to emphasize the point that there is a lot of social commentary that can be made through various forms of art. In particular, we see contemporary art as a great medium for expressing ideas because it is so recent and relatable to most people. Difficult and uncomfortable topics can be discussed more readily through art, which I believe is essential to its existence. Besides appreciating the beauty of a work, one must also take into consideration the message the artist was trying to convey. Often, artists wish to tell the audience something through their masterpieces.          Art in itself is very powerful and important because of its power of persuasion and ability to send out hopeful messages (though not all art will portray the same message – that all depends on the artist). But to that point, I think all art will have some sort of purpose. Just thin...
Read more

Billet de 20 francs-- Debussy

Image
Billet de 20 francs Debussy Ashley Lo The bill I received was created by the Bank of France in 1980. It came into circulation in October 1981 and, as the Franc currency was replaced by Euros in 2002, it too went out of circulation.  Created by the painter Marcel Baschet, , this note depicts a portrait of Claude Debussy, famous French composer, with a turbulent scenery of the sea in the background that echos with Debussy’s “La Mer.” Debussy was one of the most prominent Impressionist composers. He was made “Chevalier of the Legion of Honor” in 1903 . Some of Debussy’s most famous works include “Clair De Lune,” “Reflets dans l’eau” and “Arabesque No.1.”   In reality, Debussy indulged in luxurious life and often spent more than he earned,   It’s quite interesting that, Debussy, who was at one point over 42,000 Francs in debt to Durand, his publisher, then becomes the face of money more than six decades after his life. I personally love...
Read more