Who Cares?

by Stéphanie Ávalos

I am currently a peer tutor for the First Year Seminar that I took when I was a first year myself. Every class we look into different issues relating to Human Rights and Environmental injustices, and we discuss these issues in order to practice shaping an argument, under the overarching conclusion of “Who cares?”.

Thinking about it with this clear cut approach renders the issues real. Thinking of why the issue matters beyond what we read on a page, and beyond the desensitizing effects of the media, forces one to think of the implications they have on our lives and our accountability in being the change we wish to see in the world.

A few days ago TDC hosted a gathering to educate Trinity students by giving us “an inspiring look at refugees in San Antonio”. Some of the basic questions such as: What is a refugee? Where do they come from? And how do they live? were addressed by the directors of the refugee center, as well as by the refugees who shared their stories. It was very touching to hear about their struggles and their motivation to have a dignified life outside their countries. But there was one presentation that I thought was the most shocking –for lack of a better word to describe it. A refugee from Iraq began his story by directing a grievance against Trinity for not supporting them, as San Antonio community members or as refugees, in continuing their studies.

So, the question is: Who cares? Does Trinity care? Do we?

A private education –and even a public one—in the US, at the university level, is expensive. So it logically follows that if someone cannot afford to go to school, they can have access to loans or they simply cannot by any means afford to go at all. But there is something that seems very wrong about not helping these people who are extremely vulnerable and who have been deprived of their fundamental rights to peace, stability and protection in their own countries.

Trinity is a school that is very unique.  Given its location and size it appeals to students from all around the world and is host to many of the “developing world’s” elite. In the grand scheme of its operations, I believe it could find a way to extend its privileges onto those most in need. Extending a hand to members of its community, particularly those who have already endured so much, would exemplify the excellence it promotes amongst its students.

The Lock by S. Ávalos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Texas is a Whole World Outside of Trinity

For most Trinity students, especially those of us living on campus, Trinity seems to be an all encompassing world. We sleep, eat and study here and on the weekends we go out with other Trinity students, to meet up with more Trinity people, which leads us to create a very sheltered environment for ourselves. In many ways Trinity is our life.
However, once in a while a glimpse of the outside world reminds us of the life that is out side the Trinity circle. My first year here, I remember that towards the end of fall semester, I saw a woman walking into Laurie Auditorium with a baby. I was then suddenly reminded of the existence of babies. The only people I had been in close contact with were students 18 years old to 22, and professors. No children and no babies. That was the first time I realized how sheltered our lives become when we are at Trinity.

by S Avalos

This past weekend during fall break, my roommate, two other friends and I decided to take a road trip to Austin. Driving there, I felt as though all the pressing anxiety of "all the homework I have" and "midterms week" all stayed behind at Trinity. Once we arrived we went for dinner at a midle-eastern restaurant and had a variety of different foods of all colors and wonderful smells. We saw people of various ethnicities coming in and enjoying the savory dishes. We then walked around Guadalupe Street just as people were starting to come out to eat and walk. Austin has a different feel than San Antonio, it seems to be younger and more dynamic.

by S Avalos

The day after we drove back and decided to stop in a town called New Braunfels just 30 minutes before getting to San Antonio. This small town in contrast to Austin, was very "stereotypically Texan" in that people  were walking around in cowboy hats and boots, and were gathering at the dance hall. The town was beautiful so we decided to walk around and visit some of the shops. The old Soda Fountain was crowded with clients and souveniers. They sold root-beer floats, fudge, ice cream and a variety of home made jams, amongst other goodies. 

by S Avalos

As we came closer to San Antonio, we decided to take a detour and go downtown for a late dinner. We drove down towards the plaza and we saw people walking around. As we made our way through the crowd we saw people dancing, others dinning and some just walking. San Antonio also became a different place than the one we experience at Trinity. Just as interesting and exciting as Austin or New Braunfels and very distinct as well.



by S Avalos



Going to school at Trinity has been a wonderful experience, however, Trinity is not a world: it should only be part of our lives as opposed to all of our life. People, things, spaces and activities within the Trinity community are great, but so is the world outside. Sometimes, especially in times of stress, coming out of the bubble and getting a change of air can help replenish your perspective.

Blogger by savalos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Food Diversity at TU

I was standing in line for the Granary at Mabee the other day, and I decided to take notice of the types of spices people use to season their foods.

Salad bar
Taken by S. Ávalos

From the very beginning of the scavenging process, one can see that some are more careful about what goes in their plate than others. There are those who seem to have some sort of systematic approach to the amounts and the colors, others go down the line and choose only an item or two, and of course there are those who just take some of everything and hope for the best. Once you reach the front, you are confronted with a variety of spices, which you may choose to combine, and experiment with, or else you can just wait and have one of the pre-made sauces added to your concoction.

Spices
Taken by S. Ávalos

Among the spices available are: turmeric, salt and pepper, a five spice mix, oregano, cumin, curry, raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest. Some are intimidated when confronted with the variety, others don’t enjoy unknown flavors, and then there are those few adventurous who mix and match. The safer choice is always salt and pepper. Cumin is strong and overpowering. Oregano is mild and blends in well with other flavors.  Lemon zest is a never-go-wrong choice, but still has to be a deliberate choice. Curry is the bold choice; one must be familiar with it to known the proportions in which it can be combined. Finally the brown sugar, raisins and cinnamon are the ingredients for the detail-oriented palates, used only by those who know about proportions and can successfully maneuver the spices at the stand.

Many times it is hard to feel satisfied after eating a meal at Mabee, but if you explore the options you might find a way to combine flavors to get the feel of home or those that feel like you have traveled to an unknown place. 

Mabee Pictures by S Ávalos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Mabee Spices by S Ávalos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Mosaics



Photo by Tom Magliery

 Mosaics are an interesting concept: they are composed of small pieces, which individually have their own allure, but placed strategically together, they make up beautiful shapes. I can’t help thinking that mosaics are a symbol of life: compositions of moments, people and places, each piece special and essential in the aesthetics of the final masterpiece.
Lately, I have been talking to a lot of my Latin friends about their experiences dating Americans. It seems they all have the same –or at least very similar—issues regarding cultural differences. I thought this would be a good topic to write about because it is a clear reflection of how the small pieces that make us who we are, play a big role in how we interact with the people that surround us. With regard to how this relates to Life at Trinity, I thought it would be interesting to write about how people of similar interests, that live in the same environment, may have so much in common and yet have great difficulty understanding each other.


Foto by Maria José Treviño

 Before coming to Trinity I had never given interculturality so much thought. To me it was all about “respect”. In order to be respected, you must show others respect for their beliefs and culture, but as I have come to learn it is far from being that simple. While interactions may essentially be rooted on respect, they also have a lot to do with understanding and knowing what motivates people to act one way or another. In other words, how each small piece of a person’s life-mosaic influences the final shape and makes that mosaic different from one’s own.
Culturally, the approaches to dating and even friendship differ between Latin-Americans and US Americans. To us, guys should always pursue girls, this is what we are told by our parents and what we grow up experiencing. Here however, girls are a lot more forward in approaching guys and are equal participants in the process of pursuit. So how do we forget about these tabbus in order to understand and simply enjoy each other’s company? Well we can’t. But while forgetting or ignoring is not an option, we can learn to the mindful of the differences.
A year ago I probably would not have thought of these differences as anything other than incongruencies between other’s and myself, and I would have probably disregarded the relationship altogether. However, now that I understand that the terms intercultural and multicultural are more than just words and have a deep and important meaning, I find myself acknowledging how important our day to day experiences have been to making up how we face the world.
It is ultimately a unique opportunity we have to come and encounter people of such a varied array of backgrounds. As students we are able to find common ground with people who we otherwise may not have even had the opportunity to meet. Living in close proximity with each other, it becomes impossible not to appreciate how unique and interesting each other’s life experiences are.


Mosaic by Maria T is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

International TU

Have you ever stopped to think about all the multicultural activities and interactions you encounter every day at Trinity? For a day, try to be mindful of how your activities reflect the convergence of nationalities, backgrounds and even globalization.
Every morning students wake up to the "magical" sounds of their alarm clock. Whether it be a celphone made in China, designed in Germany and sold by --the french franchise-- Target in Texas, that composition of plastic and metal is a symbol of our proximity to all the people and places involved in its manufacturing process.

Photos taken by Stephanie Avalos or her camera

Then most of us proceed to shower employing products of foreign design and local redistribution; followed by a change of clothes into a mix of brands, places and fabrics, all of which we merge together in order to express our global selves. Think about it next time you are walking around upper campus heading to class. Look around and think about the harmonious --and at times not so harmonious-- combination of places, styles and colors all in one same frame. Fashion allows us to become art in motion, and regardless of how many places and brands we combine we can achieve great visual harmony.
Then as we make our way to breakfast we go into Mabee and we see the same familiar faces waiting to assist us in the acquisition of our products. At the breakfast taco stand is Rosie who is from Germany but has lived in San Antonio for the greater part of her life. On the other corner is the Sushi stand, which has three Korean girls working for about three hours to make enough sushi for the rest of the day. Every once in a while they will make the "syncretic" California roll topped with Chipotle Spicy Mayonnaise. Straight ahead is the pasta stand, originally Italian, but at Maybee it has lots all cultural affiliation. To the right is the Home Zone, which in principle serves home-cooked-style meals, but I have yet to see anything being served there that resembles what a home-cooked meal is like at my home. But enough about food.

After breakfast students travel to upper campus and encounter other students, some from Texas, others from other states, some even from Ecuador ;). We all come from such a varied array of places and experiences. Every moment of our day somehow interrelates us to people and places we have never met or ever seen. This makes a world of difference to me and the way I perceive my life here at Trinity.


International TU picture by Stephanie A is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.