Posts Tagged ‘book’

Last week, I read Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay. I only wanted to read it because it’s a book based in Paris, I had no idea what the story is about. I read the books in two days and it was one of the more captivating books I’ve read recently.

The books sets place in Paris, but goes back and forth between 1942 and present day. The story sets on the true historical event of the Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup that was a part of the Holocaust. I must be honest that this book is definitely a “chick-lit” and that some of the story plot can be quite predictable. But the important thing is the author tied in an important, and often unmentioned historical event with a story that is easy to digest.

This was certainly not the first book I’ve read regarding this tragic history, but this one for some reason really made me think. Perhaps all the times before, I thought of this event as an unfortunate event in history like so many others. This time, however, it daunt on me just how recent this event actually was. Less than 100 years ago, people in the developed West actually submitted to such horrifying ideology.

The human race can be so vulnerably, and at times extremely frightening.  It perplexes me how people come up with these ideas that certain race or religion are “unworthy”. What’s more bewildering is how these individuals could have enough power to spreading the ideology into a widespread genocide. I am continued to be amazed how easily individual minds and an entire society can be swayed by extremist ideas.

Unfortunately, even today, people are still being killed for their race, religion, culture, or other reasons beyond their control. I wonder if one day human race will finally grow up and realize that no one group of people can be labeled and treated in such inhumane way. I wonder if generations in the future will look back and study these behaviors as one of the steps in evolution. I sure hope so.

Like

Unlike

Who is richer? A millionaire who has never left the continental U.S.? Or someone of the same age who has just enough money in the bank account for his next trip to his 150th country?

With the arrival of the new year, I am becoming ever more anxious with the upcoming decisions of graduate school admissions. Of the three rolling admissions schools, I have only received one acceptance, and agonizingly waiting for an answer from LSE and Sciences Po Paris.

Besides obsessively checking my email and logging onto my personal applicant space, I’ve also been thinking about how I will foot the bill of one of these fancy schools. The saying goes that if there is a will, there is a way. And that was the mantra I took to while applying to nothing but prestigious, and also expensive institutions. I thought, “well, if I get in, then I’ll find a way to pay for it.”

Let’s just say the process is more complicated and discouraging than imagined. Many of the scholarships and fellowships I have researched target toward citizens of developing nations and I can’t express how frustrating to be LIVING in one for past 20 months, working at the ground level, and still NOT be eligible for these awards base solely on the country of my passport.

The search of funding leads to bigger questions. Is it worth a big price tag to have an education that I’ve always dreamed of? Having debt already accumulated from undergraduate also sets me back quite a bit, and the question is, are the loans worth the experiences I had? Absolutely.

I was fortunate to have received several scholarships that funded my undergraduate education, thus most of the loans were to finance living expenses and the extensive travel that I did abroad. Sure, I could’ve been more frugal, eat a lot more ramen, traveled a lot less, etc., but if the world ends tomorrow, I will know that I have lived to the fullest and experienced all that I could within reason.

To what extent do we need to be “practical” and at what point do we “live in the moment” and seize experiences in the world? These questions have been circling my head with my time in the Peace Corps rapidly coming to an end, the next step dangerously close in sight, the future and that scary place that is modern society awaiting me.

I read Tuesdays with Morrie in one day this week. And this quote has been on my mind:

So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.

Something to really think about.

Like

Unlike

Not sure when New York Times and the International Herald Tribune joined forces to create the Global Edition of the New York Times. I discovered this recently and -wow- I love it. I am not sure why I love it so much. Perhaps it’s the “global” nature of it all? Every section of the news now has an international component to it. Must be the globe-trotting blood within my veins.

Reading the NYTimes has long been my distraction tactic, and now it’s that much more enjoyable! Recently I have been trying to curb my Facebook access and this is a perfect substitute. Instead of reading about my friends’ goings about, now I am finding out what role Paris played in Edith Wharton’s life and discovering an interesting book on the tumultuous historical relationship between Taiwan and China from a personal perspective.

Reading the NYTimes is also a perfect complement to the GRE studying – I am practicing reading comprehension, n’est-ce pas?

Like

Unlike