NeverShoutNever concert

I've been bad at staying on top of this, despite how many times I told myself to do so.

Better late than never, I suppose, so here is what I did with my Saturday night three weeks ago. 

It was a warm afternoon, which is nice for Portland in September, and I was all set to see NeverShoutNever with my sister and her friend. It was my first time going to the Wonder Ballroom, and also my first time going to what I like to call a "stand-up" concert (i.e. a concert where you stand, rather than having an assigned seat. An original name for such a concept, I know). The only other concert I'd been to before this one was the John Mayer concert a year or two back, which was held at the Rose Quarter, a huge arena-type venue. The three of us waited outside the Wonder Ballroom for a couple hours, while PETA volunteers and indie band members mingled with the crowd, trying to save seals and sell albums. Another new thing I encountered while waiting to get into the building was the notion of multi-colored hair. I've seen people with green, pink, purple, blue, etc. hair, but very few mixes of colors and patterns. One girl ahead of us in line had dyed a section of her hair to look like a peacock feather--which, admittedly, looked really cool on her, but it takes a certain kind of person to pull it off. 

There were three warmup bands, including Rocket to the Moon and Portland natives Plug-In Stereo (I can't remember the other one, obviously they didn't leave much of an impression). I really liked Plug-In Stereo, and we got this photo with the bassist afterwards as well as purchasing their CD. Then, the moment we had all been waiting for had finally arrived. Cristofer Drew and his bandmates got on stage. We were a little disappointed in their set; only a few days beforehand they released a new album with a more rock and roll type feel. Not the kind of music nor experience I thought I was coming for, as I expected to sing along with all the familiar happy tunes I associate them with. All in all, however, it was a good concert, though I think next time I'll opt for a place where I can sit--standing for 8 hours total is a little long to be on your feet! 

In Memory of 9/11/01

September 11, 2001 is a day that no American can forget. The day the Twin Towers came down was an important one, and the effects still show. One of these effects is the general attitude Americans have towards Muslims. Every day, Muslims in the U.S. are discriminated against and many often have to face verbal harassment. To someone wearing a hijab, the word "terrorist" can have the same implication as the word "nigger" does to an African-American.

Today, instead of waving the stars and stripes and reliving the 9/11 attacks, I visited a local mosque for the first time. Two summers ago, I went to Turkey and went inside a traditional mosque there, but I had never seen one in the United States. That being said, I had expectations for a more...decorative building like the one I'd seen before. It turned out to be very basic-looking. I even thought we made a wrong turn before seeing two women in full burkas walking around, which really says something.

My dad and I went together to this open house that was taking place at the center. When we first arrived, the congregation was doing one of their five daily prayers. There was a men's prayer room and a women's prayer room, as per tradition in Islam.

We entered a building adjacent to the main prayer building where samosas, pound cake, fruit, coffee, and juice were all set out. We chatted with some women who speak Bengali as well as English. At this particular mosque, over thirty different languages (including Urdu, Farsi, Bengali, Somali, Hindi, and more I hadn't even heard of) are spoken. The president of the mosque and various other speakers took turns discussing the importance of community in light of the events that happened ten years ago. While I wasn't the only non-Muslim in the room, I was definitely in the ethnic minority for one of the first times in my life, which is always interesting to me.

Yes, 9/11 did change America. But it isn't just our lives that changed. It's not about tolerance, it's about acceptance. Unite the world <3

The Obligatory Introduction

I feel like this blog needs a bit of introduction. "In With The New" is a project I've launched where I've decided to chronicle new experiences. I often find myself in a rut--wake up, go to school, go to work, go home, eat, do homework, go to bed. But I know there's more to life that the same three streets I always drive on, and I want to get out the same old, same old. I also fancy myself an amateur photographer, but I know there's no way I'll be able to continue photographing regularly with my busy schedule if I don't go new places and try new things to find subjects that I'm inspired by. With that being said, these "new things" don't have to be big. I just hope "In With The New" will help me recognize that I actually see and do new things all the time, which will help the rut stop getting deeper.

To start off, one of the new things I did today was drive on two new freeways. It sounds silly, but when you're 15 and only started driving in July, it's a big deal. I've previously taken 217 for a short distance, but today I mustered up the courage to drive on I-5 and I-84. I managed to drive all the way out to the Portland International Airport, which, if you ask me, is quite the feat. I did something else for the first time today too, but I want that to be its own post. It deserves it.