Smells and Bells

      I have always enjoyed loud noises since I was a child, even though they will damage my ears in the end. My town holds an annual event called “Old Home Day”. For those who are not from New Hampshire, it is a celebration of the town’s founding. One of the main highlights of this local celebration is the over-the-top fireworks show for a town population of 5,700. I can recall the large booms shaking my bones from the inside out. The sensory input was insanely satisfying. I remember the endless times my mother scolded me for yelling “BOOM” as the fireworks launched.      Now that I am older, I have a different preference for how I consume my loud noises. I enjoy playing music at almost the top volume in my car while driving. The subwoofers shake the bones in my chest and vibrate all three of my mirrors. Although the sounds have changed from fireworks to music, the feeling remains similar. I enjoy how sound can be more of a physical experience, rather than...

 From my recollections of the reading, Anne Rasmussen talked about the questions about how to display culturally the Qu'ran-- as an institutionalized form to be reverent of, or as a festivalized form to be put to music (even if not termed as such) in a distinctly Indonesian way. This question, of the validity of "Indonesianized" Islam, almost mirrors questions about language in Morocco, where I am going to next semester. Its linguistic situation is complicated, but I will attempt to summarize it briefly here. It has two official languages now: Modern Standard Arabic, and Tamazight, a standardized form of the indigenous languages of Morocco, which roughly one third of the population speak some form of. (The country's population is comprised of Arabs and the indigenous Amazigh people, who also have significant overlap). However, the majority spoken language is neither of these two languages, but the local dialect of Arabic, known as Darija.            ...

     I have always been very sensitive when it came to loud noises, my mom used to tell me that when I was little I would have to wait outside of a movie theater till the trailers were done. They were too loud for me and would get overwhelmed and upset. But this only applied to the trailers, not the actual movie. My mom often thought my noise issues were due to the fact I watch a lot of silent cartoons or nothing super crazy, think Tom and Jerry, Pink Panther, and Creature Comforts by the Wallace and Gromit people. I suggest you look up tge creature comforts, it’s fun and slightly creepy! I wasn’t permitted by the adults who gave me DVDs to watch loud shows they’d be annoyed by. My mom also believes this could help kids learn social cues or expressions because you rely on the sound effect and visible story. I argue this since my social cues are decent depending on how my brain feels. Now as a semi-adult I am able to handle noise but I have strangely good hearing, able to ...

 As some of you who have taken classes with me know, I have always been a bit of a contrarian. Stubborn and set in my ways, yet also uncompromising in my beliefs for what I think is right. One of the earliest instances of this was me, at age six, deciding to be a vegetarian. This was originally due to my sensory issues eating meat, as I, like many other people on the autism spectrum, experience sensory issues with certain foods. Only later did I learn about abuses in the factory-farming system (especially through the activism of fellow autistic Temple Grandin), which only furthered my belief. Though I have never attempted to impose my beliefs on others (I promise I won't be an insane vegan who stops you from eating meat), I have always held strictly to this for myself.  This has caused several problems for me over the years, namely when I was ten. My mom was dealing with health issues when I was in fifth grade, eventually being diagnosed with a uterine disorder that put her in...

  As I’ve previously mentioned in a prior blog post, I’ve consistently been considered to be a fine chef in my family circle. While I’ve only shared a little bit about my cooking exploits thus far, I feel as though I should provide a little bit of context behind how I got to be a comfortable chef, along with giving credit where credit is due to the person (or rather, people) who helped me learn how to appreciate this practice. While many of the middle eastern recipes I know by heart have predominantly come from the kitchen of my late grandmother, she had passed away before she could complete teaching me how to make certain more complex dishes from our family history/heritage. With this having been said though, the annual family reunion that is held in Slater park every year allowed me to meet (and get to know) another elderly member of my clan who is highly knowledgeable in our family’s traditional recipes.  This individual, who I believe is a third cousin of mine, goes by the...

       My childhood was heavily embedded with notions of food equating to love. My grandmother is the type of person who asks if you're hungry as soon as you come in the door, and isn't satisfied until she sees that you're properly fed. She taught me almost everything I know about cooking, and says that one of the greatest acts of love is feeding and taking care of the people who mean the most to you. When I was around 10-11 she opened a small catering business out of her home to show her love not just to family but to her community, and the small town of Pembroke, Georgia has been blessed with homemade bread, peanut butter bars, and chicken salad ever since.      Because of my grandmother, food is how I express my love to the people I care about. Whether that's cooking dinner for my family, baking something on a whim for a friend, or working food service as I have my whole life, food is a way to give back. Knowing that you're taking care of people and...