His Eye is on the Sparrow

Why should I feel discouraged?

Why should the shadows come?

Why should my heart feel lonely

and long for heaven and home?

When Jesus is my portion

A constant friend is He

His eye is on the sparrow

and I know He watches over me

His eye is on the sparrow

and I know He watches me

I sing because I'm happy

I sing because I'm free

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He, He watches me

His eyes is on the sparrow

and I know He watches

I know He watches

I know He watches me

I sing because I'm happy

I sing because I'm free

His eye is on the sparrow

and I know He watches me

He watches me

His eye is on the sparrow

and I know He watches me

He watches me

He watches me, I never thought...

He watches me

     Most of you know that music is how I get my point across in many different situations.  I can take lyrics from multiple songs, put them together and show them to you, sing them, or recite them and you'll know exactly how I'm feeling.  At any point in any day, there is a song that can express my mood, how I'm feeling, the situations I encounter, what I'm thinking about, etc.  Usually, if I post song lyrics online, it's a direct indicator as to how I'm feeling about something that is going on in my life.  They usually just pop into my head and then it plays over and over again in my mind for the rest of the day.  Sometimes I scare myself with how accurate the songs are...

     Today's song was "His Eye is on the Sparrow" by Lauryn Hill (which is why I came home and watched Sister Act 2, haha!).  I have a lot of big decisions that are having to be made in my life right now, both personal and educational/professional.  There are a lot of things that I have to figure out within the next few months.  A lot of things are riding on this last semester of college and an application for something beyond college.  What happens this fall will dictate what happens to me for the rest of my life... practically in all areas of life.  I graduate in December with a Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Studies from East Carolina University, with a minor in Psychology.  After graduation, there are a few options.

     I'm applying for what's called a "cultural ambassadorship" in Spain for the 2013-2014 school year. The application will be submitted this November.  If I am accepted into the program, I will leave in August for a full year to work alongside Spanish teachers teaching children in Spain how to speak English and helping them learn about the American culture.  I will live and work among Spaniards for an entire year while I enrich myself with their culture, their language, their heritage.  I am so excited about this and I hope you will be excited for me, too!  If, for some reason, I am not chosen to participate in this program, I will be applying to graduate schools in several different states; i.e., NC, AL, FL, MD, etc.  I am still doing research on the best graduate schools for the pathways I have chosen to take interest in, so these states may change.  If I do not get into the program, it is likely that I will work for a few years so that I can save up money to return back to school.  Like I said, it all rides on this chance in Spain.  Hopefully, I will have a chance to join the ranks of this wonderful opportunity.  

     I know that it's a long time and a lot of people have their reservations about me going to another country for a year... but what you need to understand is that this is my life, this is my career, this is what I have worked for, this is who I am.  This is a wonderful opportunity for me to immerse myself into the language itself (the one I've been learning for so long).  Yes, I will miss my family and my friends... more importantly, my mother... more than anything in the world, but it's time for my life to begin.  It's time for Ashley to have her chance at a fulfilling and wonderful life and be who she was meant to be.

     Besides... wherever I go, whatever I do, it should comfort you to know that God has His eye on me.  He's going to be watching over me wherever life leads me.  The choices that I make from here on out will be guided by Him and only Him.  Shouldn't this ease your mind?  

His eye is on the sparrow.

"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." -Dr. Seuss

     Tonight, Dylan and I ordered chinese takeout and lounged about watching The Lorax.  Happy Labor Day to us, right?  Neither of us have ever seen the movie and thought it would be pretty neat to watch together... he is my nephew, after all and we both share a love of animated movies, I mean c'mon!  Don't act like you guys don't like animated movies (i.e., Disney, Pixar).  Instead of ultimately watching a movie that I thought would prove to be super cute and laid back... I find that this movie made me think a lot.  Especially the quote at the end of the movie from Dr. Seuss, "UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."

     Now, this quote can be applied to a whole bunch of different scenarios and situations, but it got me thinking of cultural acceptance in the United States.  Most of you know that I'm a hispanic studies major at ECU, so of course it's natural that I would automatically think of the acceptance-- or lack thereof-- of the Spanish speaking population here in America.  Obviously everyone has their own opinion and are entitled to them; I'm not trying to say that any one opinion is wrong or that someone is insensitive because they have a different opinion than I do.  I'm simply stating mine.
     If you are a native Spanish speaker and you are here in the United States legally, I believe that you should have the same rights that I do because America prides itself on being the "melting pot" of the world.  
     A lot of people will actually fight me on this belief saying that if your first language is Spanish, then you should be deported.  I don't believe that's correct for legal immigrants.  Note that I said LEGAL.  If you are here illegally and you expect to get the same treatment and benefits that we as Americans receive, then I am all for the deportation laws.  That's just not fair.  You aren't contributing to this nation nor its economy, so you should not be allowed to partake in its wealth.  With that being said, I do believe that deportation laws should not be applicable to children under the age of 18.  Most of these children did not ask to come here, and a lot of them were born here.  To them, this is the only "home" they've ever known.  To deport them with their illegal parents and family members is like stripping them of everything they've ever had.  It isn't their fault they were born here illegally.  
     There are some people who believe that if you're not a native English speaker, then you should be deported anyway because you "are not accepted here; we no speak-ay da Spanish" (I literally heard that line this weekend).  This makes me so mad.  America prides itself on being the "melting pot", the most "diverse" nation on this planet, the most "accepting" of them all (whether it be race, religion, culture, etc).  If this is so, why are the majority of southern Americans still on this kick of being so much better than everyone else?  If I were born in a different country where there were absolutely no opportunities to advance myself as a person or to make a better life for my family, I would want to immigrate to the "land of opportunities" as well.  I would want my children to learn English, go to American universities and make something of themselves.  They would be RICH in culture because not only would they know their own culture, but they would learn the American way of life as well.
     Honestly, I think this is one of the worst forms of discrimination in the United States.  People learn that someone is a mexican, latino, etc., and they automatically assume that they are freeloaders and shouldn't be here.  Thank you very much, but most of my native Spanish friends are all here legally and are contributing to America's economy very well.  Sometimes I honestly wish I were of hispanic descent because they are the most caring individuals I have ever met.  They are hard workers and so intelligent.  Take for example a friend of mine; she just graduated from ECU with honors and is now in grad school at NC State.  Another friend of mine is in Puerto Rico for the semester; not only is she finishing her bachelor's there, she's learning so much about her heritage as well.  
    Obviously if you think that Spanish speakers (or any other immigrants for that matter) are "second class citizens", you are ignorant and we should not be friends.  But you know who are the worst offenders of this tragic misconception?  People who never went to college, who never broadened their horizons and went from high school straight into a minimum wage job.  I'm ashamed to say that some of my own family members probably feel that way because they are old fashioned and set in their ways.  Can't people see that this is just another form of "racism"?  Just another way to discriminate against people who are different than you are?  It's so ignorant... you can learn so much about the world and about yourself from people who are DIFFERENT than you.
    Coming to ECU was the best decision I've ever made in my life and I would do it again if I had to.  I have learned so much and met such a broad spectrum of people.  These people have made me a better person, they have shown me the light.  Discrimination is not okay in any form or fashion.  I don't care who you are, you should respect all people no matter their heritage, race, gender, sexual preference, etc.  Some people may say that I've become too "liberal" and that ECU has completely "changed me", but I believe that I have been changed for the better.  The southern states in America are the last to change, but it's been a long time coming and needs to happen.  Life would be so much better if everyone just got along.
     I could go on and on and on and on about this topic, but I think I'm going to stop here.  So, my question to you is:  Do you care enough about your beloved nation, and the morals/values we pride ourselves in, enough to stop discrimination in all forms?

Food for thought.