A Black Girl's Best Friend

A black girl's best friend is her kinky, afro lookn, natural, ethnic, can't put a finger through it knappy hair.

That's right i said it.. The thing you'll hear a black girl complain about the most is her hair, and I'll admit I'm guilty of it too. There's a kind of depression that sweeps over a girl when you look in the mirror and see that you have to comb through that jungle of intertwined hair. It kind of reminds me of a rubiks cube..it's not impossible but it ain't going to be easy. Like the rubik's cube there's certain tricks to the trade without the tricks you're doomed. I used to hate my hair like many other black girls. As a kid I hated going to that salon every two weeks.When you walk into a kid's beauty salon...I'll guarantee you'll hear some screaming. The worst part for me was facing the pressing comb (hot scolding comb that they put through you hair to make it straight). I was always afraid of leaving there with a burnt ear or a burnt finger. Till this day i despise the phrase "Hold your ear down honey." And how someone figured out that running a hot comb through knappy hair made it straight is beyond me? It kind of makes me wonder how many and what other methods they tried first? I hated that my hair took so long to grow. It's almost like trying to grow grass in the middle of winter. It would take forever and it's nearly impossible.

    I'm beginning to love my hair though. I love the versatility of it. Think about all the things you can do with it. You got afros, dreads, kinky twists, zillions, micro braids, press and curl, natural, cornrows, weaves, sew-ins and a mix of the bunch. I love the uniqueness. Black hair is a trademark there's nothing in the world like it hence everyone is always trying to touch it. That's why we should cherish it and not view it only as a nuisance. So when i step in the rain and a little fuzz begins to show, I embrace it because it's part of me.

    But when you really think about it..a girl's best friend really is her hair. Like a best friend your hair has stuck with you through the thick and thin. Like a best friend you depend on it. You depend on it to compliment your beauty.Like a best friend you have fun with it. You wear it in different crazy styles to be unique. Like a best friend you have the best memories with it. Like when you were 6 years old and you decided to give yourself a bang like the big girls and you walked around with a big piece of hair sticking up for weeks. Ooops :-D Like a best friend you trust it. You trust it to stay in place when you put that Jam (stay in place oil) on it and although sometimes it lets you down you give it another chance because good friendships are hard to come by. And like a best friend you should love it because it completes you.

Lesson Learned:
"Good hair means curls and waves, bad hair means you look like a slave. At the turn of the century it's time for us to redefine who we be" India Arie

Be You. Love You. Stay True.
Jaz

More Than a Word

     Love is a special thing. It comes in so many forms. There's that kind of love that you have for your family. No matter how much you wish you could have a different brother or sister they are kind of bound to you and you kind of love them and don't know why. Well you may know why but they aren't the type of person that you may pick out as a friend but that you've grown to love because they've always been around. Maybe you just love them because they are connected to you in ways that most people aren't.
        Then there's that love you have for friends. You love the fact that they can teach you how to dougie. Or you love how they can make you laugh when your down. Maybe you just love the fact that they've chosen to be your friend even though you still sleep with a raggidy stuffed animal named monkey (not gonna say any names). I can't forget to mention the love us humans have for food. The satisfying feeling you have on thanksgiving when you smash fried turkey, mac and cheese, stuffing, green beans, cornbread AND ice tea is amazing. Your stomach says no to more food but your mind and eyes are saying yes yes yes so you inhale the peach cobbler on the table in front of you...#thatslove.
        Then there's this special kind of love between two people. The kind of love that hurts and controls you without you even knowing it. This kind of love makes your knees weak. It makes your heart race for absolutely no reason but the fact that the person you loved just stepped in the room. It gives you butterflies like no other. You'd do anything for that person, go anywhere, and say anything to make that person happy. You love the smallest, tinnest, meager details of this person that other people don't even notice That person is your world, your all and your everything. They are constantly on your mind. Every song, movie, or place reminds you of them. This kind of love is special because you don't find it everyday. It's a person that God specially made just for you to unknowingly fill your hearts desires. Someone who you tell your deepest and innermost thoughts and secrets to because you know they will still love and accept you for you. I think very few people find their soulmate but when you do hold tight and never let go.
     You know the saying that love is just a four letter word? Well I think its way more than that. It's trust, it's affection, it's happiness, it's headache, it's letting someone bring you down to your knees in sadness but giving them a second chance just because you love them. I don't think you can choose who you love it's something that just happens...it's a part of being human. So don't run from love embrace it, cherish it, live for it in hope that someone will love you the same way in return. 1 4 3 <3

Lesson Learned:

"Love is just a word....until someone comes along and gives it meaning"

Be You. Love You. Stay True.

Jaz

HU: My Experience So Far

      I'm proud of my decision to come to an HBCU...Hampton especially. Growing up in a majority white community to the black kids I kinda got labeled as an oreo. You know the saying black on the outside white on the inside. I will admit..me being an oreo probably has some truth behind it. It explains why I can't dance worth a lick or why I will proudly admit that I have country and rock on my ipod. Neverless I came to Hampton to get the black experience...and boy have I gotten it.
    
       Movies always display african american women as loud ghetto acting people. I always used to hate that stereotype but girls in my dorm are definetely loud. Through these thin walls I've heard so many unpleasant phone conversations and have been woken up at 3 a.m. by the loud off key voices of " O Happy Day" at least a dozen times...but that's college right. The day I actually see toliet paper and soap in my dorm restroom I think I will be the one singing "O Happy Day". Our cafeteria could use a little improvement also...I feel like a starving child in a third world country bcuz most of the time i refuse to eat the mystery meats that the cafe offers. And if I see another water rat (ugly beaver/rat/squirrel/wild beast) waddling its way around campus I'm calling child protective services. But there are many things I love about Hampton too.
      
        I have found my love for chicken and honey mustard. The first time I tried it I couldn't believe that I had gone the past 17 years without it #epicfail. And shoutout to Chik-fil-a who by far has the best chicken nuggets in the world. Here at Hampton I also have found my love for Go-Go music thanks to a few friends from the DMV...I am absolutely in love with Wale..Chillin is my theme song for life. I love HU's 12-2 (party in student center during day)...it's mad crazy most of the time. People make it rain in there all the time...by make it rain i mean people litterally throw Washington's (money) from the 3rd floor of the student center..MONEY IN THE BANK $$$$. At HU I've seen some exotic hairstyles and ways to dress. I've seen people wear uggs in 80 degree weather...I've seen a 20 yr old with gray hair (done purposely) but I love it because it's always something new and different to see. Let's talk about weather now....I LOVE VIRGINIA WEATHER...its amazing most of the time. The fact that I can walk around with no coat in January is awesome. The fact that it rains and leaves large puddles all over campus is awesome....#explanationrequired....I'm from michigan...and ppl in michigan used to randomly wear rainboots and i thought it was the stupidest thing in the world because you didnt really need them and i thought they just looked dumb...well here ive had a revelation.... rain boots are awesome when it rains on campus and leaves really big puddles i walk through them in my rain boots and i feel invincible...s/n until I jump in a puddle and water gets in my boots...then im just upset...but rain boots are great!! Also it amazes me how all of Virginia will shut down for a little dusting of snow..it was crazy to me. At home they would have laughed at you for saying the city neeeded 2 be shut down for that amount of snow #thesouth smh...I love how in Virginia walmart is open 24 hours...ive had some of the best memories shoppn at walmart at 1 a.m. with some frnds :-D
     Hampton has also helped me grow up. It's the longest time I've been away from home and although I miss my family and friends dearly...it's something that i needed to do to find myself. I am still searching for who I am and what i want to be in life but day by day I'm getting there and it's happening right here at Hampton. I am considering transferring schools but I will never forget my experience here....its unforgetable.

Lesson Learned:
"Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can- there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did"

Be You. Love You. Stay True.
Jaz

Day 1

Ever since i watched this hilary duff movie i wanted to make a blog and ig heres my chance. Throughout my life i kinda felt like no one ever listened to me. Here no one maybe listening but at least its out there and out of my system. on this blog i wna speak my mind....i wna say how i feel without hurting other people though...cuz i kno how it feels to be hurt...but its late and im tired so nite 4 now. Every post im gna do a lesson learned so here it is for 2day...
L.L
"A friendship is like sand in your hand: if held loosely in the palm of your hand, it stays there, but as soon as you close your hand tightly, it slips through your fingers."
Be You. Love You. Stay True.
Jaz