#domincian

[brujadepinarrio]

Hi, I did one of those Ancestry Tests and I got my results, I am a very low percentage of Taino dna like really low (I am comfortable with saying this so it’s 2% indigenous Haiti & Dominican republic) and I was wondering can I reconnect? And does blood quntaum matter within the taino community? Sometimes I do feel like a outsider to my own ancestors especially cause I am a low percentage of taino dna

hi, sorry been really busy recently so the answer is yes, you can reconnect with taino culture, those are your ancestors regardless of the percentages, most taino people now a days are at a very low percentage(some have reached very high levels from 5-45%+ meaning there are some people who do have more Taino DNA than others) due to many factors, especially forced intercourse, colonization, assimilation and genocide, our ancestors did fight back and our ancestors did ran away from colonization to the rural parts and mountains which is where I am from, so that did impact our culture and ancestors as well people til this day, as well more cultures being brought into the Americas caused more mixing, however we still are an indigenous people even if we are mixed with other races and ethnicities, most Tainos by 98% are mixed with European and African DNA, however blood quntaum does NOT matter within the Taíno community, Blood quantum is a concept created by white settlers that refers to the amount of so-called "Indian blood that an individual possesses. Blood quantum appears as a fraction and is "calculated" based on an individual's family tree. Rooted in eugenics, the concept lacks any scientific basis. For example, when natives have children, biological features are not split in half. It's not possible to actually calculate the amount of Native blood someone has. Blood quantum is a stand-in device for lineage imposed by the U.S. federal government and Eurocentric governments of settler colonial projects to disempower Indigenous people and separate them from their lands, resources, culture, identities, languages, and futures. Our ancestors practiced kinship to know who’s Taíno and used a Matrilineal system, blood quntaum is not used by majority of indigenous nations/clans/pubelos/tribes/etc and especially not used within yukayekes(taino tribes/community), it’s 100% understandable if you feel like you’re not welcomed by your ancestors or doubt yourself cause of your percentage but remember, it’s not accurate and as long as you know you have taino dna and did your genealogy, it’s 100% valid to reconnect. Regardless if ur 1%,2% whatever percentage of taino

[xocoyotlx]

welcome! ❤︎

hi everyone, my name is lala! i have been practicing witchcraft for a couple of years and would like to take my craft to a new level

i'm working on deepening my practice and want to use this space to share information that i find useful. here's a little bit about me:

❤︎ she/her, 26 years old

❤︎ mexican and domincian person of color 💕 xocoyotl is my chosen nahuatl nickname

❤︎ born and raised in florida

❤︎ diagnosed as an adult with autism + adhd

❤︎ i love reading, watching documentaries, crocheting, gaming, and spending time with my animals

❤︎ my main spiritual focus is on dreams and the subconscious

❤︎ another main focus of my craft is working to decolonize my culture and re-connect with my indigenous roots

❤︎ i'm mainly interested in the aztec pantheon, but i love learning about all mythologies!

nice to meet you! my arms are wide open for all who want to chat and connect 💕

may the sun bless you ☆☆

[dear-indies]

Disabled actors with ungiffed roles (of course any roles are welcomed) for disability pride month:

Michael J. Fox (1961) - has Parkinson's Disease - Designated Survivor (2018), See You Yesterday (2019).

Mat Fraser (1962) - has thalidomide-induced phocomelia - Loudermilk (2017-2020).

Daryl Mitchell (1965) African-American - is paraplegic - Fear the Walking Dead (2018-2023).

Warwick Davis (1970) - has spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita - Willow (2022-2023).

Selene Luna (1971) Mexican - has dwarfism - Mayans M.C (2022-2023).

Cherylee Houston (1974) - has Hypermobility Ehlers-Danlos syndrome - Coronation Street (2010-2023).

Callan Mulvey (1975) ¼ Maori, ¾ Scottish - is blind in one eye - has been in a lot of things including Last King of the Cross (2023), Firebite (2021-2022), Till Death (2021), and Mystery Road (2020).

Shannon Murray (1976) - is paraplegic - Viewpoint (2021), Get Even (2020).

Kurt Yaeger (1977) - is a leg amputee - Another Life (2021).

Katy Sullivan (1979) - is a double leg amputee - Dexter: New Blood (2021-2022).

Jamie-Lynn Sigler (1981) Cuban / Ashkenazi Jewish, Romaniote Jewish, Sephardi - has multiple sclerosis - Big Sky (2021-2023).

Prince Amponsah (1985 or 1986) Ghanaian - is a double arm amputee, with his right arm amputated above the elbow and his left arm amputated below the elbow - Avacado Toast the series (2022) and Station Eleven (2021-2022).

Rana Daggubati (1984) Telugu Indian - is blind in one eye - Rana Naidu (2023).

Rick Glassman (1984) Jewish / Italian - is autistic - As We See It (2022), Not Dead Yet (2023).

Ali Stroker (1987) - is paraplegic and bisexual - Echos (2022), Only Murders in the Building (2021-2022), Ozark (2022).

Josh Thomas (1987) - is autistic, has ADHD, and is gay - Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (2020-2021).

Jillian Mercado (1987) Domincian - has spastic muscular dystrophy - The L Word: Generation Q. (2019-2023).

Ruth Madeley (1987) - has spina bifida - The Almond and the Seahorse (2022).

Tim Renkow (1989) Mexican Jewish - has cerebral palsy - Jerk (2019-2021).

Melissa Johns (1990) - is an arm amputee - Grantchester (2021-2022).

Steve Way (1990) - has muscular dystrophy - Ramy (2019-2022).

James Moore (1992) - has cerebral palsy - Emmerdale (2018-2023).

Arthur Hughes (1992) - has an upper limb indifference - The Innocents (2018).

Madison Ferris (1992) - has muscular dystrophy - Panic (2021).

RJ Mitte (1992) - has cerebral palsy - The Unseen (2023).

Mei Kayama (1994) Japanese - has cerebral palsy - 37 Seconds (2019).

Ryan J. Haddad (1995) Lebanese - has cerebral palsy - The Politian (2019-2020).

Lauren Spencer / Sitting Pretty Lolo (1996) African-American - has Lou-Gehrig’s disease - The Sex Lives of College Girls (Season 2).

Annabelle Davis (1997) - has dwarfism - Hollyoaks (2023).

Kayla Cromer (1998) - is autistic - Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (2020-2021).

Micah Fowler (1998) - has cerebral palsy - Speechless (the latter seasons!)

Daniel Monks (?) - is quadriplegic - Sissy (2022).

Matthew Jeffers (?) - has dwarfism - New Amsterdam (2018-2023).

Ben Mehl (?) - has macular degeneration called Stargardt's disease, which causes one to lose central vision- You (2021).

Gloria May Eshkibok (?) Mohawk, Ottawa, Irish, French - is Two-Spirit (she/her) and has one eye - OChiSkwaCho (2018).

Zack Weinstein (?) - is quadriplegic - Sing It! (2016).

Angel Giuffria (?) - is a congenital arm amputee - To the Dust (2022), Good Trouble (2022), Impulse (2019).

Joci Scott (?) - is paraplegic - Smash or Pass (2023).

Jacob Mundell (?) - congenital hand amputee - The Expanse (2021-2022).

+ HERE'S MY DISABLED FC MASTERLIST FOR MORE!

+ let me know if you have suggestions!

+ let me know if anybody wants suggestions with youtube content!

[yesterdays-royal]

On 'Oscar Wao'

Author Junot Diaz puts a very long run-on sentence from pages 276 to 278 in his novel "The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao." The full sentence describes the experience of Oscar DeLeon on vacation in his ethnic homeland of the Dominican Republic. It follows a pattern of "After [Oscar] did ___," finally ending with "he decided suddenly and without warning to stay on the Island for the rest of the summer with his mother and tio. Not to go home with Lola." (Diaz 278) Diaz (or Yunior, the narrator) includes mentions of the "mind-boggling poverty" (277) that defines the DR Oscar visits. (Diaz includes the quoted phrase multiple times in the sentence.) In the DR Oscar gives his taxi money to beggars and his scrap goods to "shirtless shoeless seven-year-olds," (276) wipes his ass with a corn cob and calls it entertainment, and reckless (but presumably not wreck-less) traffic. Oscar gets a cold, diarrhea, and still lots of embarassment. Everything Oscar experiences points away from him liking the DR experience, but he decides to stay anyway. Notably, toward the start of the sentence, Diaz writes that "Oscar refused to succumb to that whisper that all long-term immigrants carry inside themselves, the whisper that says You do not belong." (276) Oscar did not mark these experiences as negative but as authentic. In Paterson, his "home," he feels out of place, like he is not fulfilling the stereotype of sexually "successful" Dominican male. Here he still has the same embarrassments and un-masculinities, but at least he does not have to worry about his Domincian-ness, since he is Dominican enough having the ethnic heritage and residing on the Island.

Diaz' use of a run-on sentence puts focus not on the grammar but the imagistic content of the sentence. Diaz fills the sentence with images and scenes that could make up episodes or even chapters, but instead he condenses them into a sentence comprising one unifying thought: this is the DR. It is meta-pictoral in this way. The sentence shows the relationship of imagistic text. Diaz shows Oscar's justification for staying in the DR as an argument based on image memories. In fact, in one part of the sentence, Oscar looks over old photos of his sister Lola in a sort of comparison of Lola's life to his. Oscar defines his life by images (hence why he loves comic books and nerdy TV shows) and compares himself with other people's images. The sentence paints a meta-picture of Oscar absorbing an image of the DR that appeals to his search for Dominican-ness, one that denies his heritage as defined by sexuality and instead as defined by abject poverty.

It is no surprise that he finally loses his virginity to a Dominican prostitute.

[acornmaybe]

the beutifual and goriosu domincian republic,

[blindmanspuff]

Pure Aroma Announces Flor de D’Crossier Seleccion Escogida Lumina - Cigar News

Pure Aroma Announces Flor de D’Crossier Seleccion Escogida Lumina - Cigar News @dcrossier

Pure Aroma Cigars has announced the Flor de D’Crossier Seleccion Escogida Lumina, the latest cigar from Isaias Santana Diaz. This new brand will come in four vitolas and is packaged in 25-count boxes. The blend uses an Ecuadorian Habano claro wrapper, Domincian binder, and fillers from Jalapa, Nicaragua and Dominican Republic. The four sizes are: Robusto 4.7/8” x 50 $10.00, Corona Gorda 5.5/8” x…

[everyday-life-products-reviews]

🥰Hi, skincare and truffle lovers! The D'Alba First Spray Mist Serum gives your skin superelasticity, and it is an anti-aging mist serum spray. It has avocado oil and a bit of white truffle serum in it. Check it out-> https://amzn.to/3iQdGLA I adore how it did give me powerful hydration and a vital younger look to my skin. WHITE I paid a discount price from @0.8L and @dalba_global this white truffle D'Alba First Spray Mist Serum. I use this as a toner before my creams or serums and after cleansing. There is a 30% increase in the skin turnover cycle to aid in wrinkles and recovering fatigued skin. I could feel that my dry skin became nourished for hours, and it improves dull tone and loss of resilience. It has a skin brightening, and it has 7 Swiss Alpine plant extracts, which helps your skin to look and feel healthy with that natural shine. What do you think of this D'Alba First Spray Mist Serum? Let me know in the comments section below and have a great Monday, everyone! In Spanish: ¡Hola, amantes del cuidado de la piel y la trufa! El suero D'Alba First Spray Mist Serum le otorga a su piel superelasticidad y es un spray de suero antienvejecimiento. Tiene aceite de aguacate y un poco de suero de trufa blanca. Compruébalo-> https://amzn.to/3iQdGLA Adoro cómo me dio una hidratación poderosa y un aspecto vital más joven para mi piel. BLANCO Pagué un precio de descuento de @ 0.8L y este suero de niebla blanca D'Alba First Spray Mist. Lo uso como tónico antes de mis cremas o sueros y después de la limpieza. Hay un aumento del 30% en el ciclo de renovación de la piel para ayudar en las arrugas y recuperar la piel fatigada. Pude sentir que mi piel seca se nutrió durante horas y mejora el tono opaco y la pérdida de resistencia. Brillo de la piel y 7 extractos de plantas alpinas suizas. ¿Qué opinas de este D'Alba First Spray Mist Serum? #faceserum #dalba #serummist #skincare #whitetruffleserum #luxuryskincare #skincareroutine #beautyblog #facemist #08L #08liter #dominicanbloggers #chicagoblogger #skincaretips #influencer #dominicanblogger #dominicana #domincian #dominicans #kbeauty #beautyinfluencer https://www.instagram.com/p/CCkqsy2hxeA/?igshid=4u1vcugbasde

[telerealrd]

República Dominicana construirá muro en frontera con Haití

República Dominicana construirá muro en frontera con Haití

El Presidente de la República Dominicana anunció el domingo que el País comenzará de inmediato a construir un muro en la frontera con Haití. El muro cubre 392 Km aproximadamente la mitad de la longitud de la frontera, y el Gobierno dominicano espera que detenga la migración irregular desde Haití, y el anuncio llega 7 días antes de que el país celebre su independencia el 27 de febrero. Muchos…

[princesscatherinemiddleton]

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge met with Warren Lawrence, from the Domincian Republic, on Day 5 of the Commonwealth Games | August 2 2022

[galaxychild518]

Pride and acceptance

This was five years ago I was seventeen years old.I was a part of this teen arts organization called Art Connection specifically their TRaC program.It stands for Teen Review and Critics.We would go to different art events and meet artist.After the events we would discuss it and write critiques.This was the last day of the program so every group had to present what we did during the 10 week course.Art Connection held a teen exhibition art gallery called “Where You Been ?”.The theme of the art was migrantation ,transitioning and tradition in today’s society.The painting I was standing in front of is called “Keep Dancing” by Diomar Solano.This painting caught my eye because I saw the traditional Dominican dress.It reminded me of the my great grandmother made for my cousin when she was one.I always tell my grandma that one day I want to go to the Dominican Republic so I could buy one.The painting also was the first time I’ve seen my community represented in art.I saw my self not just as a Dominican ,but as an Dominican New Yorker.The artist statement says “When I was making this art piece, I was thinking about when you migrate to other countries you have to adapt to that culture without disconnecting with your own and the transition of it is hard.The girl is dancing in a Dominican costume because I’m Dominican and on a train because we often see that in NYC.I was born here so I can’t completely relate ,but I hear stories from my family.When my grandmother and her siblings when to school they were always labeled as Puerto Rican.The teacher would even correct them and they believed the Dominican Republic was made up.Great-grandfather would tell my grandmother and her siblings “These people are idiots tell to look at a map it's the island is right near Haiti” and sure enough that shut them up lol.I will never forget that story because my great grandfather showed them to be proud and stand up for where they came from.People make ignorant comments and assumption towards migrant people on a daily basis.It shouldn’t happen ,but I am happy when migrant people call people out for it because it’s unacceptable.It’s already hard for someone to move to and adapt to another culture why question their identity.

The second painting I liked from the exhibit was called “Home” by Wilfred James Rosario.The girl's purple hair caught my eye.Her hair is flowing beautifully in the wind ,but her face shows pain.When I looked at the artist's statement it connected with me in a deeper way.He says “Through the crisis that is occurring in the Dominican Republic, I wanted to express the emotion. People being killed, discriminated, and kicked out of their country,because of the color of their skin. By painting the model, I wanted to show the emotion that person would have felt; how absolutely upsetting this is.”Historically colorism has been a huge issue in the Dominican Republic.When you look at how Haitians are treated in the Dominican Republic.I’ve heard comments like “Oh she really dark skin she must be Haitian” as if Dominicans couldn’t be black.Rafael Trujillo the dictator started the hate with parsley massacre back in 1937.He killed people who didn’t know how to say perejil because he felt Haitians couldn’t say the word with their accent.Over 20,000 Haitians were killed for a simple word.Now haitians are being kicked out of the Dominican Republic.It’s really sad that they are being treated like this because of their skin.Older generation Dominicans need to realize Dominicans have African descent.Luckily things are changing and we are accepting of the term Afro-Latino.For a while I did struggle with my identity because I experienced being discriminated by a past partners mother.They were a lighter skin Dominican behind  my back she would make comments about my hair and question if I was Dominican.I already would get discredited as a Dominican because I barely know spanish so I didn’t need that extra pressure.Now I don’t care because at the end of the day I know who I am.There are these famous faceless dolls in DR called Muñecas Limé they are faceless due to the artist saying there is no specific Dominican features.Till this day I keep that in my mind because they are right I’ve met really light skin and really dark skin Domincians we are all different.

[another-heros-blog]

Last night...

I had a very in-depth mental conversation with myself and eventually a friend about what kind of Latino Percy and Leo are.

We knew from the get that they weren't Hispanic because it says in ink that Leo looks like "a Latino Santa's elf" so we wanted to honor that and by default made the same thing for Percy.

I thought about the lighter skinned Latino communities and realized I have a friend who is Cuban and Colombian who looks white passing. We really REALLY liked the idea of Percy being Cuban for reasons completely unknown (and by osmosis Sally since she's the mortal parent). I ALSO headcanon Posideon as a hunky Samoan man so, take with that what you will.

Leo on the other hand was really hard. Since he's from Texas, we were like "ok maybe he's Mexican. That would add for a lot of struggle in his and his mother's backstory if it were to be like that." But we both felt uncomfortable just slapping that label on him and being done with it. As someone in the black and brown community, I didn't exactly want to write that kind of political media (even though I kinda did it in Ashes to Ashes, unshameful promo). So! I had always had this tugging feeling that Leo was Puerto Rican. I have no clue why but every person I've meet from the P.R. has been playful and so sunny but knows when to put in the work when need be (not that others aren't like that!).

My friend suggested him being Colombian so he could have a big culo, but I declined😂.

THEN I had the beautiful ephiphany of a Domincian Hephaestus and my heart sung! I was like, yes anything to add the spices to the pot! I'm a majority African American with some Native American and a dash of Spanish lol and the small joy of Leo Valdez, Puerto Rican (Black) Dominican teenage boy, was so invigorating!

So in conclusion, I love my two brown boys and if you read this you should check out my AO3 and read Ashes to Ashes to see them in action☺️

Tell me what you headcanon!!!! There's so many cultures I don't wanna miss out on any possibilities I may have looked over!

[telesthisia]

【 About the Mun 】█ █ TAG 20 FOLLOWERS YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET TO KNOW BETTER! REPOST, DON’T REBLOG.

𝕀。

NAME: Amber! NICKNAME: Dee! From my twitter username lulladee! tho i don’t go by that on there anymore so ;v;  GENDER: i’m be a girl ZODIAC: libra HEIGHT: 5′5″ maybe 5′6″?? but I think I grew idk i havent’ measured myself since i was hospitalized for Health Reasons and had to stay at the hospital in high school hweohd that was junior year  ROMANTIC/SEXUAL ORIENTATION: bi bby HOGWARTS HOUSE: ravenclaw!! FAVOURITE COLOUR: pastels!! all the cute pastel colors! 

𝕀𝕀。

CURRENT TIME: almost time for bed since i have to wake up at six PM AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: not enough ;v; LUCKY NUMBER: 5!  LAST THING I GOOGLED: I was researching touch starvation for my OC so that!  FAVOURITE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS: my oc... idc how conceited that sounds I’m so proud of her! 2019 is the year we be proud of our ocs!! Her name is Celia, she’s a morally grey anti-villain and she’s been in development for three years now wowzers! I did rp as her before I forgot her password so I think I might remake someday.... so some may know her! I really like her design so weeps, I’ll put it at the end of this meme and talk about her more because lord knows we need to learn about my terrible daughter! NUMBER OF BLANKETS I SLEEP UNDER: Three FAVOURITE SINGER OF A BAND: binch i’m indecisive as hell.. OH JINSOUL FOR SURE!!  DREAM TRIP: domincian republic... and going back to cali i loved it there  DREAM JOB: i don’t have one anymore because i suffer from indecisive libra disease so now it’s just... me, floating here unsure what to do with my future hwekasdkbj

𝕀𝕀𝕀。

WHAT DO YOU POST? : RPs, meme, ask memes, musings, ooc stuff t WHO ARE YOUR MOST ACTIVE FOLLOWERS? : everyone is active but me WHEN DID YOUR BLOG REACH ITS PEAK?: the day it started  WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A TUMBLR?: OH MAN ok so way back in the day, i was into earthbound and i found some ask blogs with certain characters. i saw that some were able to rp rather than drawing answers so i opened up an rp account to interact with them ;v;  DO YOU GET ASKS ON A DAILY BASIS?: nope WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR URL?: because alttp zellie is best known for that power! its how she starts off link’s adventure and all 

HERE’S MY OC HWEOH get ready for some rambles bye 

i made a ref sheet for friends to draw her since they like her apparently hweoh and future commissioners!! So some things about her! Princess Celia de Villanueva is 21 years old, she’s in a contract with a being that’s pretty much satan called The Lich and they will devour her soul once she completes the contract which is destroying a holy kingdom that ruined her kingdom, she does this by leading a revolution through manipulation of the lower class and their social unrest. Destroying this kingdom can mean the end of the world since again, holy. This isn’t done out of vengeance for her family/kingdom or anything despite the pretense leading you to believe that, but out of envy for how prosperous the kingdom is since envy is her main trait. The Lich is manipulating her to do this unknown to her so while she thinks she’s a master manipulator she’s actually easy to manipulate. She’s a tiny ball of angry fluff, she has pastel lavender hair and green eye that glows due to her telekinesis powers. As you can see she shows...... boob in her outfit and wears a short skirt or well short for her times because she’s naturally flirtatious and sleeps around a lot, she lives in 192X in a country where Edwardian fashion and ideals are still a thing so her outfit and behavior is a huge no no so she’s at the risk of getting thrown in jAIL AND THIS CRACKS ME UP BECAUSE SHE HAS HAD SOME FEW CLOSE CALLS 

[katerinalily007-blog]

Pollo guisado, first food stop qe made before leavin the Staten! ♡ #foodgasm #foodnetwork #domincian #rico #love

[everyday-life-products-reviews]

💕Hi everybody and juice lovers! I am trying the Pomegranate Blueberry Acai Old Orchard Juice @oldorchardjuice, and it tastes super great! Check them out here->https://fave.co/3eVm3m6 I got the diet version, which is a bit watered down, but I can still get that great quality juice taste. —-///—- It has a good amount of healthy fruit sweetness. I was sent a coupon due to COVID 19, and I just went and purchased the item in-store. —///—- My family and I enjoyed how this juice is not just Blueberry tasting, but you can also taste the Pomegranate Acai in it. —-///—- What do you think of the Old Orchard Juice in the Pomegranate Blueberry Acai Old Orchard Juice flavor? Let me know in the comments section below! —///—- In Spanish:🍊💃🥰 💕Hola a todos y amantes del jugo! Estoy probando el jugo de granada y arándano Acai Old Orchard Jugo @oldorchardjuice, ¡y sabe súper bien! Échales un vistazo aquí-> https://fave.co/3eVm3m6 Obtuve la versión dietética, que está un poco aguada, pero aún puedo obtener ese sabor a jugo de gran calidad. Tiene una buena cantidad de dulzura de fruta saludable. Me enviaron un cupón debido a COVID 19, y simplemente fui y compré el artículo en la tienda. Mi familia y yo disfrutamos de cómo este jugo no es solo una degustación de arándanos, sino que también puedes probar el Acai de granada. ¿Qué opinas del jugo Old Orchard Juice en el sabor de jugo de granada Blueberry Acai Old Orchard Juice? ¡Déjame saber en la sección de comentarios! #VIPJuiceCrew #JuiceCrew #HealthySnack #foodporn #foodie #dominicanbloggers #chicagoblogger #prettylittleiiinspo #SnackTime #inmykitchen #onmytabletoday #uonu #foodphotography #juicecleanse #juiceworld #foodgram #AfterSchoolSnack #dominicanblogger #dominicana #dominicanas #domincians #SimpleDessert #foodbloggers #juicewrld #juiceworld #juicingforweightloss #lifestyleblogger https://www.instagram.com/p/CDBFKnOhW_o/?igshid=l3w0a7832k03

[chaoticimmortal]

Fill Out The Stats

▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █   Basics ✦ Full Name: Kazimira Jovanka Litvack  ✦ Nickname: Zima ✦ Age: 26  ✦ Birth Date: January 8, 1990 ✦ Nationality: Belarussian/Domincian, Jewish  ✦ Place of Birth: Minsk, Belarus (she lived in the post-soviet era Belarus of poor biological parents who ultimately had to put her up for adoption)  ✦ Current Location: Los Angeles, California (she was adopted at 2/3 by a distant but loving first generation Belarusian-Americans, hence why she lives in LA instead of Belarus)  ✦ Pronouns: Her/She ✦ Sexual Orientation: Homosexual ✦ Romantic Orientation: Biromantic ✦ Occupation: Freelance artist (primarily tactile arts such as sculpting, and creating surreal music), linguist; language tutor for high school students ✦ Religion: Jewish (it’s fairly important to her despite vampirism and religion not particularly meshing all that well) ✦ Languages: English (she can also fluently speak Spanish and Russian, read/write a little Yiddish, Hebrew, and Belarusian)

▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █   Physical Attributes ✦ Eye Color: Sparkling onyx as a vampire; brown with amber flecks ✦ Hair Color: Wavy, styled long and the darkest shade of brown before black ✦ Height: 6′1″ ✦ Body Build: muscular, with long limbs and an angular figure  ✦ Notable Features: An aquiline nose, the remnants of a tendency for tanning as a human, freckles, a prominent cleft chin and jawline, and a wide toothy fanged grin 

▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █   Phobias & Diseases ✦ Fears: Her low self-esteem holds her back from truly succeeding, so she is afraid of judgment/how people perceive her, not living up to her full potential, abandonment, and the consequences of her occasional impulsive activities. She’s otherwise not afraid of much, but she struggles emotionally to fully open up and let people into her life. 

▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █   Personality ✦ General Impression: She haas a tendency for melancholy in a typical artsy, naval gazing stereotyped to Russians (despite being from Belarus). The prototypical "strong and silent" type: she is ambitious, intense, cunning, and often lost in her daydreams; the looming darkness hovering over her shoulders seems otherworldly and mysterious in a strangely attractive yet aloof way. When she feels comfortable, which takes a lot of effort on her part, she is intense and cunning and ✦ Moral Alignment: Neutral Good. She primarily keeps to herself unless she's given a proper reason; as an introvert, she often keeps her complex thoughts to herself despite her intellectual nature and unique perspective

▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █   Misc ✦ Likes: Cigarettes, art, movies, languages, museums, human rights, history ✦ Dislikes: Cruelty, rudeness, arrogance

[erincardenthailandblog]

Melissa Rossi

Thailand’s education system is extensive and complex. Overwhelmed by inadequate funding, huge class sizes, and deficient teacher training, the system forces teachers to pass students even when they have failed. In the eyes of one educator, Melissa Rossi ’89 (current WorldTeach Thailand Field Director) the focus of education should not be to pass students through the system, but instead, should be how to “make the best people for the future.”

With bright green eyes and tight brown locks that bounce when she moves, Rossi’s teaching background is easily recognizable. Her animated facial expressions, demonstrative hand movements, and sharp diction quickly draws listeners in. She’s the type of person who makes you smile if she’s smiling, even if you have no reason to. Her energy is contagious, her voice fills rooms. 

At a young age, Rossi became interested in analyzing how people learn. “I’ve always loved observing the mechanics behind why people do what they do,” she told me. This interest sparked her decision to pursue a bachelor's degree in Child Development and Psychology, two subjects that functioned as a springboard for her life as an educator.

After completing her undergraduate degree Rossi joined the Peace Corps and served as a teacher trainer for university English teachers in Panama. “No one in my family has ever served for the Peace Corps before, but ever since I was six years old I loved that the goal of the Peace Corps was to ‘spread peace and friendship,’ ” she explained. ”When people asked me, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ I always said, ‘I want to be a Peace Corps volunteer.’ “

After the Peace Corps Rossi dreamed of continuing her travels and life abroad. She has since continued this dream. As of 2010 Rossi has not returned to live in the United States. After the Peace Corps, Rossi moved to Cartagena, Colombia where she worked for Juanfe, an NGO that focuses on providing health care and educational opportunities for teen mothers living in poverty. “Junafe showed me a different side of Cartagena,” she told me.

In Cartagena, thirty percent of women who give birth are twelve to eighteen years old. Sixty-eight percent of the population lives under the poverty line. Until recently, Cartagena had the highest infant mortality rate in the country. Poverty can prevent families from accessing medical care and adequate nutrition, causing young children to die from preventable causes. Juanfe focuses on giving medical health care to adolescent mothers and their children, and provides them with technical job training so they can work and make a living. While working for Junafe, Rossi developed the organization’s English program. “Despite the fact that Cartagena is a major tourist population, most of the mothers in the program spoke very little English,” she explained.

Rossi will never forget Erica, a seventeen-year-old she met working at Junfe. Erica,“the sweetest student ever,” stood out to Rossi as a dedicated student who wanted to make a better life for her two year old daughter. “Erica lived in a one strata neighborhood,” Rossi explained. “The only streets that existed were mud roads. “

Colombia applies a six tiered stratification system according to a home and a neighborhood’s characteristics, with social classes generally linked to wealth and race. The system was established to subsidize utilities for lower strata residents. Housing characteristics—such as a garage, a back or front yard, and the quality of a neighborhood—are the main criteria used for classifying the neighborhood. Level one is the lowest strata, with six being the highest. While individuals who live in the highest strata typically live in the historic center of Cartagena, those who live in the first strata often don’t have access to clean water or modern plumbing.

Rossi was amazed to see that despite her poor living standards, Erica was still motivated, determined, and focused on her studies. “Everyday Erica traveled with her daughter to Juanfe, which was an hour and a half from where she lived,” Rossi explained. 

“Every morning she arrived ten minutes early so she wouldn’t be late for class. Then, right after class finished at 5 p.m., she traveled back to her town and sold fried chicken. That’s how she made money. She did this because she never wanted to miss an opportunity that was given to her. Given what kind of life she was born into, it was amazing and motivational to see how hard she was trying to get something better out of it.”

Following her position at Junafe, Rossi accepted a position developing curriculum for an online English program in Brazil. “At Juanfe I gave and gave, but I wasn’t completely happy,” she admitted. “I wanted to go somewhere where I could work on myself. Plus, I had long dreamed of learning Portuguese.“

Rossi believes Brazil “is most in tune” with her personality because of the great resilience Brazilians have. Brazil’s corrupt government inflicts much suffering on its citizens, and yet despite great hardship, Rossi sees Brazilians as the most “joyous, happy, friendly, welcoming, and hospitable” people she has ever encountered. Rossi loves São Paulo because although it is the biggest city in all of South America, she feels a strong sense of community. “People will open doors for you and say hello,” she explained. “People will pick something up if you drop it. And not even just as a foreigner. I see how people treat my Brazilian friends on the streets. They take time out of their day to be nice to others, and that’s something that we’re losing in human kind. Brazilians exemplify it to the extreme.“

After spending one year in Brazil, Rossi moved to Chile to work as a field director for World Teach. After one year in Chile, Rossi was determined to return to Brazil when she was unexpectedly contacted by World Teach and offered the position as field director for its Thailand program. While Rossi had imagined traveling to Southeast Asia, living and working there seemed like it was out of reach. “I assumed the field director for the Thailand program would have to speak Thai, or at least have traveled to South East Asia before,” she told me. “But to my surprise, my lack of knowledge about Thailand was no problem.“ The more Rossi discussed the idea of moving to Thailand with Renaldo, her long-term boyfriend, the more they realized what an exceptional opportunity it was. “I knew that if I didn’t take the job I would regret it for the rest of my life.”

Throughout her time abroad Rossi has remained dedicated to her belief that English is not the most important language. “I tell people all the time, ‘your language is the most important. You need to focus on your native language too. Please teach me your language,’ ” she explained. “Languages and cultures should be valued equally.”

While Rossi views English as a tool that can be utilized to open doors, she does not think it should be a language that students are obligated to learn. “From my years traveling I’ve seen a lot of Americans holding this aura of dominance over others because they speak English,” she claimed. “ I think that’s the worst attitude to have while traveling. When people think English is the most important language, they lose sight of the importance of their own native culture.”

Although Rossi’s parents are not native English speakers, Rossi only learned English as a young child. While she is disappointed her parents did not teach her their native language, she doesn’t blame them. ”They were focused on adapting and ‘becoming American,’ “ she explained.

“My mother is from Greece and my father is from the Domincian Republic, and I think the trauma they experienced from the discrimination they faced as immigrants caused them to focus on assimilating to American culture so much so that they subconsciously didn’t want their children to speak their native language. My parents couldn’t see that knowing three languages by the age of ten would have been so much more valuable to me than knowing English really well.”

Rossi believes in the importance of expressing the value for all languages both personally, and in the classroom. While many educators believe the best method for language learning is instilling an immersive language environment, Rossi maintains that utilizing the native language in the classroom for low level learners is the best method. 

“Lower level students turn their brain off when they’re not allowed to speak their native language at all. This type of strict method makes them completely obstinate to learning English. In order to teach English effectively, teachers must encourage, motivate, and make students comfortable, which sometimes means using their native language. Teachers are most effective when they show they care about the native language of their students.”

In addition to honoring the native language of their students, Rossi also believes ESL teachers should create a reciprocal environment where both teacher and students learn from one another. “It’s important for English teachers to break the ice by allowing their students to see them attempt to speak the native language of their students,” Rossi claimed. ”If the ESL teacher doesn’t have shame in speaking the native language of their students, then the students will have less shame speaking English because both the students and the teacher are trying their best.”

Over the years, Rossi’s perspective of her role as an American educator abroad has shifted. During her first experience abroad (as a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama) Rossi did not fully understand the impact of programs like the Peace Corps. “I think a lot of volunteers think to themselves, ‘okay, I’m here for a year, I’ll teach them how to say hello and goodbye, and then I’ll leave.’ And then they forget everything they learned during their experience,” she explained. “When I got to Panama I remember asking myself, ‘what am I doing here? What is the point?’ Am I just imposing American imperialistic ideas?’ “

Rossi is aware that many new teachers are skeptical as to whether their presence truly benefits their students, and highlights the positive effects teachers can have when they show they’re dedicated to their students. “Teachers hugely affect their students when they show their dedication to teaching them on a daily basis,” she claimed.

“When I was in Panama an older gentleman approached me and said, ‘you’re the Peace Corps volunteer right? Thank you so much for coming to my country.  When I was a child in my village, a Peace Corps volunteer came to my community and he helped in the fields. He’s the reason why I decided to become a doctor. That one volunteer changed my perspective and showed me that I can achieve my dreams, that I can go to university, that I can be more. Because of that volunteer I am a doctor.’  

According to Rossi, the goal of an ESL teacher should not be to teach their students well enough that they receive an A, but instead, to focus on expanding young minds, widening perspectives, and inspiring curiosity and an appetite for exploration. “This one Panama Peace Corps volunteer, he made all the difference for this man,” Rossi marveled.

“He opened his mind and showed him he could be more. This is the point for volunteers living abroad. In the long run, it doesn’t necessarily matter what you’re teaching. It doesn’t matter whether your students get an A or an F on your test. What really matters is your presence. Your presence shows your students what is possible, that there are opportunities in life. Your presence shows them that you’re willing to be flexible and adaptable enough to come to a new country. And they’re watching your example, they’re watching the lengths you go to help them. They see it all. That opens their minds to see what kind of possibilities there are in the world. You never know if your experience could be the catalyst for someone else.”

1. Halligan , Kristin M,. An Examination of the No Fail Policy in Thailand and the Effect on Community Relations . 2nd ed., vol. 1, 2011. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186%2F2229-0443-1-2-79.pdf.

2. Gacs, David. “Interview: Juanfe President Catalina Escobar on Young Women's Empowerment in Colombia.” AS/COA, 17 Oct. 2012, https://www.as-coa.org/articles/interview-juanfe-president-catalina-escobar-young-women%E2%80%99s-empowerment-colombia. 

3.Ibid. 

4. “Teenage Mothers and Their Children in Cartegena Face Immense Challenges.” WorldOfChildren,14, March, 2016, https://worldofchildren.org/teenage-mothers-challenges-catalina-escobar/. 

5. Gacs, David. “Interview: Juanfe President Catalina Escobar on Young Women's Empowerment in Colombia.” AS/COA, 17 Oct. 2012, https://www.as-coa.org/articles/interview-juanfe-president-catalina-escobar-young-women%E2%80%99s-empowerment-colombia. 

6. “Social Stratification in the CPI.”Bogota D.C.,March 2016. https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/stats/documents/ece/ces/ge.22/2016/Session_3_Colombia_socioeconomic_stratification.pdf.