Facing The Rain

I captured this photo last weekend on the University of Miami campus. My friend Michelle and I were standing underneath the covering of the Lowe Art Museum, waiting for our friend to come pick us up from the rainstorm that was sweeping campus, when I saw this man trudging through the pouring rain. This man was covering his head with a piece from a cardboard box as he passed the Baptist Ministry and Wesley Foundation buildings. He left his dorm or car, probably expecting sunshine, but was hit with rain. Hurricane season is typically when cities like Miami get the most rain, however it starts in June and ends in November. But in the middle of March, a large rainstorm covered the campus in a layer of water.

Clothed as a business professional, he could be heading to an important meeting with others in the University Center. On the other hand, he could be a student of the University, dressed for a class presentation. Instead of dreading the rain or turning around, he continued to walk with a steady pace, ready to ace his presentation or meeting. I was in awe of his perseverance as he watched many other students turn around and give up.

The location of this picture also stood out to me. Many people on campus tend to overlook this spot because they haven’t visited this area or know where to find the churches that line the street there. At any given time, you can find a few people walking around this area, many of which are students who live in Mahoney/Pearson Residential College or the UNICCO workers who are seen carting around cleaning supplies. These people are seen as locals, those who know of a particular area and its meaning to campus as a whole. Many of the mobiles that come to visit campus overlook this area, as well as P100s who give campus tours.

What draws me the most about this picture is the rain, although it isn’t very visible. The rain calms me and I love to take walks in it. For me, the rain embodies tranquility and calmness. When it rains, I like to reflect on my day and take pride in the peaceful moments like the rain that relieve stress for me. For instance, a walk in the rain calms me down. Most people don’t like the feeling of being covered in water, but it helps me to relax. Each drop of rain seems to relax me more, making me forget about the stresses of everyday life and to just be one with nature, if only for a few moments.  

Some people may look at this picture and see a man struggling to get where he is going in the rain, but it reminds me of the calmness of the rain and my need to find moments of serenity in the day. 

L'shanah Tova

This picture was taken at a Jewish Community Center around the 90’s. It was one out of the many pictures taken and saved by the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest. The only information known about this picture is that it was taken during Rosh Hashanah. It depicts two children blowing into a shofar during Rosh Hashanah, the New Year in the Judaic calendar. A shofar is made out of a ram’s horn and it is blown during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The shofar is usually blown one hundred times by the rabbi during Rosh Hashanah service. The sounds that a shofar makes are called Tekiah, Shevarim, and Teruah. Each sound has a different meaning and altogether reminds us about starting anew and to avoid making the same mistakes over again in the year to come.

            During the late 1800’s, Jews in Europe migrated to America to flee from poverty and persecution and a larger number migrated to America again after World War II. They came to America for a chance at a new life and beginning. These children are most likely descendants of these Jews and did not face the same issues as their grandparents did. They, themselves, would consider themselves as locals while their grandparents would consider themselves as exiles. To them, America is thought to be home and the land that their grandparents are from is now just a part of their ancestral history. These Jewish Community Centers are a way of ensuring that these children do not forget their past and pass their knowledge down to their own children.

I chose to analyze this picture because of the connection I have from Judaism, being immersed in the religion throughout elementary school. This picture reminds me mainly of my own childhood and makes me feel reminiscent. Although I am not Jewish myself, I went to a Jewish elementary school and grew up learning all the prayers and Hebrew. It was an integral part of my life and is the foundation to who I am. In the picture, the first thing I noticed was the face of these children blowing the shofar. At first glance, it seems like these children are making the typical noises that the shofar makes but the looks on their faces is a clear sign to me that there is in fact no noise coming out. The determined look in their eyes and the way they are holding the shofar was exactly the same as my classmates’ expressions when they tried to blow the shofar when we learned about it. These children are probably learning about Rosh Hashanah and the traditions of it in a way that can keep a child’s attention. Every Jewish holiday I learned about was in an entertaining interactive way. Where these children are shows that it has been set up for children to go around and learn about Rosh Hashanah. The cut off sign probably indicates that area to be where children can blow a shofar. The bottle behind is also likely to be grape juice as a replacement for wine. Every service is done in a child friendly manner as a way of assimilating and teaching Judaism at a young age. These services are not only a way teaching Judaism but it also is a way of remembering the past.

Blank Faces

            India is considered an economic dark horse whose large population and augmenting middle class provide an enormous consumer market. Despite recent improvements, a large percentage of people are trapped in slums with little potential to reach the middle class. Unfortunately many of these are orphans who beg on the streets for the last sip of water or scavenge for left overs.  Fortunately many are placed in orphanages and given a stable shelter and regular nourishment.  This picture’s punctum reveals the struggle for a country to maintain its global ascension while aiding the hopeless. The bare walls and dusty floor demonstrate the bare necessity that the orphanage supplies to the orphans. There are two small pictures on the wall put on as a poor attempt to make the orphanage more appealing. Unfortunately, that is all these local orphanages can afford. Many of these orphanages are private and rely on donations to continue operations. Though the government attempts, to help, it is difficult to spread the money to the shear amounts of people in poverty. The clothes the children are wearing are used and many are missing shoes.  Though foreigners may view these orphans as unlucky, many other children are forced into slavery.  The orphan's small smirks are illicited by this innate realization.                           

                The picture’s punctum is the grief and enlightenment I receive from looking at these eight children.  I have volunteered at an orphanage similar to the picture. It reminds me of the hours I was there where I was impervious to the materialistic world. The orphans were ignorant to their poverty and thus were able to enjoy the small things they had.  Their subtle smiles remind of this.  Though they have no remembrance of their families, they have developed commoradary between each other that many other families do not possess.  Many college students are attempting to breach the upper class, whereas these children are hopeful for a small apartment for themselves in the future.  This is depicted by the way they are standing in a group all in similar positions.  But the uncertainty of their future brought sorrow as those smiles could only be temporary. I wondered if they were prepared for the impending hardships.  

The Pride Of... (REVISED)

“Miami Postcard”

 The Pride Of...

            The picture above was taken at Manno Sanon Soccer Park in Little Haiti, Miami on May 3^rd, 2008. After many years of Haitians being treated poorly in Miami, starting with the refugee camps like the Krome Avenue Detention Center, Haitians are now celebrating in their new “home”. Manno Sanon Soccer Park was the first soccer arena built in Little Haiti. It was built and finished in May of 2008. This was the first time the city of Miami acknowledged the Haitian needs or desires. The city spent $37 million dollars on this 15-acre soccer park. They decided to name the park after Manno Sanon. Manno Sanon was the most notable Haitian Athlete of this century, who passed away a month before the building started from cancer. Following the grand opening of the park three soccer games were played. The picture above captures an image of the fans as they watch Eglise Catholique of Pere Reginald Jean Marie of Notre Dame d'Haiti play Haiti International of North Miami High School Principal Jean Coty Ridore. The image captures the change of perspectives from once exiles to new locals. Like stated before Haitians in Miami have been exiles, which means they left Haiti for political or economic reasons. These South Florida Haitian residents have never once considered Miami their true home until recently. The Haitians of Miami are finally starting to call Miami their true home. This makes them locals as opposed to exiles. The details of the picture show a crowded nice stadium. The stadium has clearly run out of seating so people are standing in the space that is provided. This shows that many people of Little Haiti have come to support and celebrate the creating of their new soccer park.

            The reason I decided to focus on this image was because like the Haitians the Jewish people have gone through so much struggle and adversity and until not that long ago it was hard to consider anyplace our home. Obviously I personally have never experienced anything like the Haitians when they were forced into refugee camps and were treated terribly but my ancestors certainly have. Like many Jewish people in the world I have met people who survived and lost love ones during the time of the Holocaust. It took years until Jewish people finally had a home and were finally noticed and helped. So like the Jewish people the Haitians went through suffering until recently when they can finally call Miami home. For me what separated this picture from any other picture of the opening day celebration was the sign in the background that is a little bit cut off that says “The Pride of.” Since the banner was cut off I couldn’t stop wondering if it said The Pride of Haiti, Little Haiti, or Miami. But have the Haitian people of South Florida integrated completely in the community around them? Obviously there is still room for growth and development but for the most part Miami Haitians are now starting to consider Miami their “home” and not just a temporary place they live in because they were exile from Haiti. Regardless of what it states it is great to see the Haitians feel proud of their new home.

            When relating the punctum back to the studium we can see that image is of the new Little Haiti soccer park, Manno Sanon Soccer Park but it can also be seen as a new home. The soccer park is not only a great new addition to the community but so are the Haitian people that now consider Miami their home.