ｒｉｖｋａｈ'ｓ ｊｏｕｒｎａｌ - an account of life { no posting }

[Rivkah]

ｒｉｖｋａｈ'ｓ ｊｏｕｒｎａｌ

I wanted to write a story, except I didn't want to hide behind this work of fiction which is created due to my experience on the subject.

Instead, I'm going to tell it straight to you.

No real names of towns, actual places, people, schools, etc. will be used. None of my personal information will be shared.
Anything I need to refer to will be given a fake name or a random one.

Posts will be dated and labelled by topic. I will of course be hiding behind my alias Rivkah, so I won't use my real name.
This is also a way to vent about my past or current experiences.

I would appreciate no posting, please. But, if you would like to suggest a topic, please PM me!

[Rivkah]

ｆｅｂｒｕａｒｙ ｆｉｆｔｈ, 2013. Ｔｏｐｉｃ: Ｂｕｌｌｙｉｎｇ.

Bullying is something that we all go through, whether it's because we're the victim or the bully. It can be anything from fooling around and name calling to physical abuse. It's alright to throw around silly insults, as long as it is not meant to be personal. You see, people have this very bad habit of insulting people based on who they are and what makes them a person, like religion, sexual preference, ethnicity, nationality, speech style, appearance, hobbies, and things like that, rather than what they do that is unappealing.

Example of a good insult:

"You're a selfish jerk."

This above is pointing out the bad traits, and what they need to improve on. They think only of themselves and they do not treat others with respect.

Example of a bad insult:

"You're such a loser, you dress like you've been living under a rock."

This insult is saying that the person is not worthy of being equal to others just because their style is not the same. WRONG. This does not make them a loser, and this does not make them worthy of verbal abuse.

Another thing I must vent on. These are examples of things my classmates, especially the boys, say on a regular daily basis...

"That hairstyle is so gay."
"School is so gay."
"Dude, that's gay."

Ugh, this absolutely drives me crazy. First of all, let me describe to you the definition of gay in the dictionary:

gay
/gā/
Adjective
(of a person, esp. a man) Homosexual.
(of a noun) happy, cheerful.
Noun
A homosexual, esp. a man.

Please take note of the definition in gold. Back when my parents were kids, the word meant happy, and in many old songs and poems, that is how it is used. How it is coined as homosexual, I have no idea, but that isn't what I am venting about, so let us continue as we were. We can talk about vocabulary and literacy some other time, shall we? I won't bore you with it at the moment.

Now, as the meaning homosexual - it is describing a way of life. Just like Hinduism in a religion, except homosexuality is simply preference to your own gender. Which means, gay is not an insult. Let us again look at what I just said - "simply preference to your own gender." Gender. Key word is gender. School does not have a gender, and therefore it is not gay, and therefore that is not an intelligent insult to school.

I am not saying to people that they have to like the concept of homosexuality. You are free to believe based on your religion whether or not it is correct, or even based on your opinion. I am simply ranting because I do not think it is a good reason to bully a kid. There is no "right" bullying, but insults should doubly not be based on what the person is like as a whole, as mentioned above.

You've heard enough of my ranting for now. And again, I'm not telling you what to think, you are free to have your own opinions, but don't put others down for their choices in life.

- ｒｉｖｋａｈ, ｏｖｅｒ ａｎｄ ｏｕｔ.

[Rivkah]

ｆｅｂｒｕａｒｙ ｓｉｘｔｈ, 2013. Ｔｏｐｉｃ: Ｄａｔｉｎｇ.

Dating is one of the biggest stresses of school, no matter what the age. In this generation, the sad thing is little children absorb so much of it that "cooties" only last until around first or second grade. By Middle School kids are "going out" even though they are never actually taking each other on dates, and they usually end up breaking up in three or four days.

I myself started having kids try to set me up on dates when I was ten years old. I tried to explain to them that both my parents and I did not approve of this and I would wait until high school. People started accusing me of being a lesbian because I never expressed any interest in men. I then proceeded to tell them that being homosexual is not a bad thing, even if I am not one myself.

Anyway, I'll stop my rambling. I am writing because popular vote number one happens to be dating. I am here to write/vent about dating.

Personally, I do not like the term "dating" at all. It implies you are simply going out on dates. Like a fling. That it isn't serious. When I have someone I am in love with, I will refer to them as "my love" because I do not like the term "boyfriend" or "girlfriend." Besides, once upon a time, those terms were literal. A boy was a friend and a girl was friend. It's sad how many terms are now misused.

Now, my venting is back. People are always gossiped about and judged by who they date. First of all, it is their business why, when, and who they date, and nobody else should be concerned about it. Sure, it's nice to keep it noted in case you want to talk to them or something, but other than that, who cares? People shouldn't be labelled by their tastes, as stated in the topic yesterday, which you can read above. So why should love be discriminated upon by people who don't even know anything about the relationship? Prejudice rules our lives.

You've now heard enough of my blabbering.


- ｒｉｖｋａｈ, ｏｖｅｒ ａｎｄ ｏｕｔ.

[Rivkah]

ｆｅｂｒｕａｒｙ ｓｅｖｅｎｔｈ, 2013. Ｔｏｐｉｃ: Ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓｈｉｐ.

Friendship is a complicated thing. When we're young, we think that the more friends we have, the happier we will be. As we get older and mature, we realize that we only need a few trustworthy, genuine friends in orders to be happy. I have learned this the hard way, having been stabbed in the back numerous times. It has damaged my trust with people I first meet.

Friendship is not a color, a gender, or a race. Our friends can be big, small, multicultural, rural, quiet, energetic, and many more things. You don't have to be exactly alike. If we were all exactly alike, we would basically be boring robots.

I will use myself and my best friend as an example. Let's call her Cactus, which is avtually my nickname for what her name means in my language.

Cactus is a Muslim. I am a Jew. She comes from Sudan, I come from Sweden, Poland, Scotland, Israel, Ireland, Holland, Germany, and America. Our religions have different languages, beliefs, and customs, and yet we look past the fact we don't agree with it or understand it.

Not only that, but we have even adopted each other's families. Our mothers are close, and we take care of all of our younger siblings. We have sleepovers, hang out, do community service together, and spend every moment we can with one another. We look nothing alike, and we are different in many ways, but we are still like sisters.

Here's a tip for all of you kids out there, whether you're in elementary school or college or anywhere in between:

Friends do not grow on trees.
Friends do not come in mass quantities like pencils.
Friends do not need to be your duplicate.
And last but not least...

Friends will always be there for you, but best friends will go after the people who upset you in the first place.

- ｒｉｖｋａｈ, ｏｖｅｒ ａｎｄ ｏｕｔ.

[Rivkah]

ｆｅｂｒｕａｒｙ ｎｉｎｔｈ, 2013. Ｔｏｐｉｃ: Ｓｔｅｒｅｏｔｙｐｅｓ.

If there's one thing I'm sure we all hate, it would be stereotypes. Humans have this automatic instinct that when they look at people, they make an assumption. It's natural. But the trick is, stopping yourself from acting based on that assumption; it might make you look like a fool and/or make the person you're approaching feel badly about themselves.

I'm all sure we know these stereotypes:

Asians must be smart. Nerds must be horrible people.
Jews must go to Hell for not believing in Jesus. Germans are all Nazis.
African Americans are not equal to Caucasians. Blondes must be idiots.
Girls shop and do their make up for an hour. Muslims are terrorists.
I dye my hair so I must be looking for attention. People who are different must be freaks.

You get the point. Nobody likes these things, especially when they're directed toward us. Nobody likes being judged before somebody actually gets to know them. It's not a nice feeling, but it's a common thing in this world, and it's pretty sad.

I know Asians in my class who actually hate school. I'm a nerd and I'm proud of it, even when my friends think it's like a death sentence.
You'd be surprised how many people in my school look at me in horror when I say I'm not baptized. And when I tell people I'm a Jew and they happen to be German, they automatically start apologizing because they think I'll judge them based on what happened over fifty years ago.
Even after slavery and segregation ended, some people just can't help but automatically set African Americans apart.
I have some really smart girls in my class teased because they have blonde hair.

I happen to be one of the the "ungirly" girls in my class, but shopping and doing make up is not what all girls do. Lots of girls are on sports teams, and go on to work with the government or as a cop.
My best friend gets this a lot. Muslims are not all terrorists. You cannot base an entire religion off of what a small portion of them did.
Some people who dye their hair just like the fact that it's different. To them, it's a form of art.
And lastly, just because you don't belong to a clique or you're not exactly like someone, it doesn't mean you're a freak.
It means you're special and unique.

Anyway, you all get the point of this. We cannot judge one person based on another's actions, just because they are the same religion. We cannot assume that because a majority of this group of people is like this that one singular person will be too. Stereotyping is just another form of bullying, discriminating, and prejudice. If we're ever going to achieve my dream of world peace, we need to stop this.

People should not be judged based on sexual preference, ethnicity, country of origin, religion, appearance, gender, or habits. They should only be judged based on their personality, and the only judging that should be done is whether or not they are a good character in your eyes.

You've now heard enough of my rambling yet again. I bid you all a good day.

- ｒｉｖｋａｈ, ｏｖｅｒ ａｎｄ ｏｕｔ.

[Rivkah]

ｆｅｂｒｕａｒｙ ｅｌｅｖｅｎｔｈ, 2013. Ｔｏｐｉｃ: Ｐｕｂｅｒｔｙ.

We all hate puberty. Weird feelings, different points of view, hormones, awkward growth spurts, maturing, acne, drama, mood swings... we all go through it at one point or another, it's a natural part of life.

Doesn't mean we have to like it.

So I decided to post some tips from experience - general, of course, not too specific - to help you guys, as well all know it gets us stressed.

Acne

First of all, don't get self-conscious. Some people get it more than others. Nobody should tease people because I know for a fact they'll all get it some time. A lot of girls tease a boy in my class for having a "pizza face" when they've got pockmarks, scars, and pimples all over them. It's not actually that big a deal.
Second of all, you need to know how to take care of it. Use hypoallergenic acne creams and medicine. Try not to scratch, pick at them, etc. or they'll leave scars. Trust me, I have a bad habit of it. Shower every day or every other day, and keep your face especially clean, especially when eating oily foods, because it clogs up your pores.

Growth spurts

Unfortunately, you can't just make yourself stop growing. I personally hate having to find new clothes every six months and the fact I wear bigger sizes than any of the girls in my class, even though I'm rather thin. But, what can you do? Whether you're a late bloomer or not, it doesn't matter. However, there are some things you can do to cope.
A lot of people are clumsy because their brain hasn't adjusted to the rapid growth. To avoid collisions in gym or tripping over your own feet too much, try to exercise more. Using your muscles will cue your brain in earlier to the fact that the body's bigger/ longer/etc than it used to be. Trust me, it works.

Mood swings

Another thing you can't really control. I suggest that unless you have a clinical illness or depression, don't take any pills for your mood. It just throws your hormones off more. Instead, try to give yourself a little alone time and absorb yourself in what you like the most. When you get angry or temperamental, try to focus on something you like. It's better than counting to ten, trust me.
Moodiness is a normal thing for teenagers, but don't let yourself get caught up in it. Sometimes it's best to distract yourself, or to let yourself know when you're being moody. It affects not only you but those around you.

That's it for now, tune in later for more!

- ｒｉｖｋａｈ, ｏｖｅｒ ａｎｄ ｏｕｔ.

[Rivkah]

ｆｅｂｒｕａｒｙ ｆｏｕｒｔｅｅｎｔｈ, 2013. Ｔｏｐｉｃ: Ａｎｎｏｙｉｎｇ Ｔｈｉｎｇｓ Ａｂｏｕｔ Ｓｃｈｏｏｌ

You guys asked for it, and now you've got it. I'm ranting about some really annoying things that we all experience at some point in our school life.

Teachers

We all have that one teacher that drives us insane. Mine was a math teacher. I hate math, and there's only really been one math teacher that really helped me understand it.

This math teacher was absolutely infuriating because I hated being treated like I was a kid so I couldn't understand, and she would never let me have an adult conversation with me. You know how kids start singing and clamping their hands over their ears when they don't want to listen to something? That's how she was acting. She acted like her opinion was the only one and that I couldn't possibly disagree with her. As a result, I couldn't have an intelligent conversation without her interrupting me constantly and not allowing me to share my opinion.

Immaturity among kids

Ugh, it just never seems to get better, does it? It's one thing if you're eight years old and fooling around. It's another if you're a teenager keeping kids from properly taking a test or letting them learn the curriculum. It never ceases to amaze me; just when I think I've seen all of their foolish antics, they surprise me with something even more ridiculous. Sometimes, it's just joking around and they aren't serious. But when they think they can fly to the sun and not burn up because it's nighttime, well, it drives me bonkers.

Grammar

It's one thing if you have typos or you accidentally say something that is grammatically incorrect, or do it on purpose as a joke. It's another when you talk like this:

"I ain't gunna do nothing, I didn't have nothing to do with that!"

The biggest problems at my school are using "ain't" and speaking in double negatives. I literally hear sentences like that every day, and it makes me want to reprimand them. Which brings me to another point: Kids in my school misuse "literally" way too much.
For instance:

"I literally peed myself, that was so funny!"

If they are using literally correctly, it means they peed from laughing. If they didn't actually pee themselves, they should say this:

"I almost peed myself"
"I figuratively peed myself"

It's kinda sad how most kids nowadays don't know much vocabulary, either. I'm a big reader, and everyone's constantly asking me to stop using big words. My response is that they need to spend more time paying attention in school.

Have something annoying about your school, or something you experience that annoys you? Send me a pm, and you might just get your opinion in my journal! c:
- ｒｉｖｋａｈ, ｏｖｅｒ ａｎｄ ｏｕｔ.

[Rivkah]

Hey readers, sorry this sucky blogger took so long to post! I'm going to rant about the very thing that has been keeping me from writing.

STUDYING! STATE TESTS! WONDERFUL TORTURE!

/end caps abuse.

Ugh I am so fed up with it. State tests are in a week and after that we have to do an additional test that is supposed to be only for two grades ahead of us, but we're in one advanced class, so crap. Studying isn't what gets me down, it's the amount of it and how our teachers love to cram all the tests into one day/week. Isn't it lovely?

My mathematics teacher is getting lazy and frankly annoying. Instead of giving us ten minute homeworks each night she's giving us ten page packets that we get a week to complete, but they're super challenging. It's test practice for the state tests, but it's still immensely irritating. History homework isn't too bad, we finally finished our book projects in Reading and Language, and Science is still really challenging but fun.

And yet when you add it all up it gets really frustrating. We're starting to use computers this year for Reading state tests, but because it's our first year it's taking us a week when paper took two days. That sucks in my opinion.

Honestly I don't like the idea of homework, though I love creative projects. Homework is supposed to be to help us understand, but they keep piling it on even after we get it and we spend too much time on the unit. The class discussions are way more memorable than taking notes in History class, even though I'm good at memorizing notes. Projects and discussions are more hands-on and help kids my age and even older or younger get a better grasp of it, which is why I like Science and History most. My math teacher is definitely not my favorite, and that's one of the many reasons why. Anyway, enough of that.

Ugh, I need to stop and start studying. Bye!

- ｒｉｖｋａｈ, ｏｖｅｒ ａｎｄ ｏｕｔ.

[Rivkah]

ｍａｒｃｈ ｔｈｉｒｔｙ-ｆｉｒｓｔ, 2013. Ｔｏｐｉｃ: Ｂｉｇｏｔｒｙ

It's been a long time, ugh. I am so sorry to my readers. I have just been going through so much. And yes, it says bigotry instead of bullying because I felt like it

big·ot·ry
/ˈbigətrē/
Noun
Bigoted attitudes; intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself.
Synonyms
zealotry - fanaticism

I've been dealing with so much in school that it's just been a mess. But this is why I have this rant thread. So, I want name any names of course, but I've been bullied by a large clique throughout the year. "Jew witch" started it off because they hate my religion. "Lesbian" took over quickly and escalated. I was being talked about as dating my best friend, I was being harassed, gossiped about, and almost touched once. What did I do? I held my temper and ignored them.

But it went too far and they scrawled all over one of my graded papers "Lesbian." I took it to the guidance counselor; he got to work much more quickly than my old school, which punished me instead of them. Already it's getting better and I can find the time away from studies to work on these things.

But you don't want to hear about my boring drama.

I'm actually bi ; I haven't had any experience in dating yet but I know I like both.
But that's not the point; whether or not it was true they had no right to harass me.

I am perfectly alright with people who do not support gay rights or gay people; it's in your religion and how you interpret it, and I'm not in charge of telling you what to believe. But it crosses the line when people do something like this. This is a free country to the point where you can think what you like without being oppressed. But when you start oppressing people because of what you believe, then you have lost the right to say that as an excuse.

Nobody should be oppressed, no matter what other people think. They have different religions. Different beliefs. Different opinions. They are entitled to their own way of life. They don't have to follow yours if they don't want to. It is purely their choice. This is what I cannot understand. It just goes back to the golden rule. "Treat others the way to want to be treated." It may sound silly, childish, but there's a deeper truth to it, that some just don't understand. People don't seem to think about it. Has anyone ever heard the saying "You don't know a man until you walk two moons in his moccasins?" Well there's a lot of truth to that too. Until you have seen it through their eyes, you have no idea what they might or are going through. You have no valid points to make, no prejudgement that you can put down without being a bigot.

You don't like something, that's fine. But no need to put others down. I don't get how people can do that sort of thing after the horrors of segregation or the Holocaust.

But I've spoken enough, I'm just repeating myself now. I've finally got that out of my head and down on this thread, so I'm feeling relieved.


- ｒｉｖｋａｈ, ｏｖｅｒ ａｎｄ ｏｕｔ.

[Rivkah]

ｍａｙ ｔｗｅｎｔｙ ｆｏｕｒｔｈ, 2013. Ｔｏｐｉｃ: Ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓｈｉｐ

Wow, I haven't written in like two months. Go me. Sorry about that people, I'm crunching to get all my projects done and school ends in nine school days, on June the seventh. ugh. Well whatever. I saw on my poll that you all wanted to talk about friendship, so I'm going to stop ranting about all the prats at my school and focus on something happy instead.

Okay so remember Cactus, my best friend?

So we had our awards ceremony for the day. I was in a dress and grumbling about it, and we were eating cupcakes afterwards and laughing our heads off about it.

But what I really got a kick out of was our teachers did unofficial awards and Cactus got the M&Ms "meek and mild" award. When I met her she was liked this, but she's anything but. So the teacher's saying it's because she's always meekly got her head in a book, and I'm falling out of my chair and she's saying "what's so funny" and Cactus is saying "well she thinks that's not correct" and the teacher's like "well obviously she wouldn't get it" and I'm choking on her cupcake.

"No she knows I'm not meek and mild."

durrrrrrrr

anyway
a little story about how great friendship is because ours is insane

- ｒｉｖｋａｈ, ｏｖｅｒ ａｎｄ ｏｕｔ.