Hunting Laughter

Hunting Laughter

I encountered this group of people laughing at the Hulen Mall.  Since I was trying to be inconspicuous, I do not know exactly why they were laughing, but the two men appear to be laughing at something the woman in the white shirt said or did.  This scene appears to support the theory that laughter is contagious in that one person started laughing and then the others joined in.  They also stopped laughing and then started again several times showing that the event was so funny to them that just thinking about it brought on new rounds of laughter.  Lastly, the people involved probably had to have some inside information in order for it to be funny since the man standing at the front of the picture was right next to them, but was not laughing.    

Extra Blog 2: A time when you felt especially happy

The Happiest Place on Earth

Many people describe Disney World as “the happiest place on earth,” and this statement is definitely true for me.  When I am at Disney, I forget about all of the problems in the world and my life and enter the world of Disney where everyone is friendly and happy all the time.  One experience in particular that gives me this magical feeling is the nighttime events at Magic Kingdom.  The night begins with the Main Street Electrical Parade, which is filled with bright and colorful floats and dancers.  But for me, this is just the beginning, an introduction to what is to come.

            The parade is followed Celebrate the Magic, a spectacular show that is projected right onto the castle walls.  As I watch the castle light up with artfully compiled clips from many of my favorite Disney movies, the detail and creativity of this show never ceases to amaze me.  At this point of the night, I begin to feel a rare sense of contentment.  As I sit on the ground with my family and enjoy the music, sounds, and laughter filling the air around me, I feel like nothing can go wrong.  I am normally a high-strung person who always focuses on my future goals and future plans.  In a world filled with hate, crime, and sadness, it is extremely relieving to, even for a short time, experience the peace of living in the moment and not worry about anything that happened in the past or what will come next.

            Following this show, the final event of the night is the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular.  This is Disney’s signature fireworks show that fills the sky with bursts of light that are perfectly timed to classic Disney music.  Even at the end of an exhausting day of walking around the parks and riding rides (we often arrive at the parks before sunrise so as not to miss one moment of the magic), this show fills me with energy.  As Jiminy Cricket’s voice is projected over the loud speakers and Tinker Bell comes flying through the air, I know that I am about to be taken on a journey through some of Disney’s greatest moments.  This show takes me back to my childhood when I was smaller and my worries were too.  In this moment, I am not a college student with deadlines to meet, grades to achieve, and the stress of getting into grad school; I am just a kid enjoying the magic of Disney.

Extra Blog 1: Where you were when you first heard . . .

My Experience on September 11, 2001

On the morning of September 11, 2001, three days before my eighth birthday, I sat in my second grade classroom just like every other morning.  Several students’ parents came to pick them up early, but this was not that unusual.  I just assumed they had doctors’ appointments to be at or something.  It was not until I was picked up from school that I realized something was wrong.  When I got in to car, my mom was listening to the news instead of music on the radio.  She seemed quite upset and angry for no reason that was apparent to me.  We then took my younger sister to her art class where only two people showed up.  I thought this was extremely odd, but I still did not understand what was going on.  I also remember my dad talking later at home about how he had been listening to the radio when the reporters still thought this was an accident, before the second plane crashed and they realized it was a coordinated attack, but I was too young to understand what that meant.

            It was not until years later that I was old enough to fully understand what happened that day and could comprehend the magnitude of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  As an eight year old, I was too young to understand why everyone was angry and I was not old enough to have anyone explain to me what had happened.  However, I still believe it is important for me to remember where I was that day and how I found out about these horrible occurrences.  The events of that day had a huge impact on the world and have affected my life in many tangible ways.  I have heard countless stories of people who lost loved ones or were in New York on 9/11.  Having no significant personal connection to the event, I feel that it is the least I can do to always remember where I was when it happened and how I felt about it that day.  The events of September 11, 2001 will forever be remembered by people throughout the world both as a day of tragedy and a day of American solidarity.  It is my goal, by remembering my experience on the day of the attacks, to always remember how our country stood together as one and never let the people who were lost be forgotten.