Red + Blue = <3...?

Relationships.

Easy and simple, or complicated and utterly terrifying? For me, it depends on the day. But I can give a few hard-earned tips to help you on your way to make any relationship work for the shade that is right for you!

1. Communication- if there is one thing I have learned it is how important communication really is to any relationship. Girls, unless you spell it out they are just NOT going to get it! Don't be afraid to tell them how you are feeling, or why you are upset. And guys, remember to ask them how they are feeling. If a girl asks you 'what's wrong?' or if you're alright that either means:
a. you are not doing very well at keeping up the conversation and maybe you should pay attention and contribute
or b. you really look depressed. Tell her what is bothering you!

2. Trust- Trust is something that should take a long time to build up. It is also what allows a relationship to become stronger. If you can trust the other person in the relationship, then you are going in the right direction! But be careful! Trust takes a long time to build, and a short time to destroy! That is why you constantly have to work at relationships!

3. Affection/Love- remind your significant other (and yourself) about the millions of things that you find so amazing about them. Make it a goal to tell them at least once a day about something you like about them. Seeing them happy will make you happy too!

4. Time- relationships take a LOT of time and work. You don't need to spend every second of the day together, but every now and then you can show you care by skipping a night out with your friends to go on a date. Little sacrifices will mean a lot to your significant other, and will prove to them how much the relationship means to you!

You might be looking at this and thinking to yourself, whoa that is a lot of work! Yes, it is. Don't get into a relationship simply because you 'want to be in a relationship' make sure you actually like the person first, and that you are ready to be in a relationship. There is no need to get into a serious relationship if you are not ready for one. Have fun, enjoy life, be young and free!

You can apply these tips to non-romantic relationships as well. Friends, family, JB boards, adult presidents... just to name a few! Build up your 'non-romantic' relationship skills first and when you are ready for a deep relationship your skills will really be put to the test!

Reviews of New Foods 1

Cooked Salted Duck Eggs

A day with no objectives, naturally, led a friend and I to the local Asian Farmers Super Mart. We took our time browsing the aisles of livers soaking in blood and brightly coloured packets of rice. We were equally short on cash and equally hungry for a tasty, cultural snack. Imagine our child-like glee when our eyes fell upon a package of cooked salted duck eggs. A packet of six individually wrapped eggs and two cans of coconut drink and we were out the door.

We could hardly contain our pride. "We are so culturally open-minded," I would state knowingly as my friend nodded in understanding. "It's not everyone who would be willing to try new foods like this," he said.

We unwrapped them carefully and inspected what we would soon ingest. They look deceptively like hard boiled eggs, but with a sinister green tint. I break the shell and the car is consumed with the smell of death. I bravely take a bite and immediately regret every decision I made in the past ten minutes. It tasted like a soggy foot someone had soaked in salt and then let ferment. With my cat-like reflexes, I reach for my can of coconut drink for refuge. I take a long swig and experience a taste that can only be described as purple. The purple taste complements the foot-salt of the egg to create the flavor of what I'm sure Hitler must taste like.

We left the eggs in the parking lot.

The Youth Trustees Recommend

This section of the blog will include periodic lists of 5 things one of us has been enjoying or exciting about recently.

Ben Blackshear recommends:

-       Playing games

o      I love games, board games, card games, whatever; I’m even taking a class about them.  Point is, they’re great, my current fave is bananagrams.  You should try it.

-       Grapefruit

o      What a wonderful fruit, durable and delicious!

-       Making a Study Playlist

o      Some people say it makes them lose their focus, and maybe it does…but that can still be a good thing.  Anyway, I love jammin’ while I study, lately my playlist has included the following albums, which I also recommend: Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion, The Appleseed Cast’s Sagarmatha, and Grand by Matt & Kim.

-       Fires

o      Almost every night this week I have started a fire in the common room and studied by it, we even had a bonfire outside once.  The point is, if you are cold, if you have a fireplace, or the capacity to go outside, fire is the best thing ever.  It also often leads to marshmallows.

-       Pistachios

o      My roommate and I are hopelessly addicted to this wonderful snack.  But its more than a snack, there’s just something about the repetitive unfrocking* and eating motion.  And the taste, especially if you can get the salt & pepper flavored ones we got.

*unannounced to me, uncracking is not a word; unfrocking, however, is, meaning depriving of professional status.  now we know.

Useful websites

Here are some useful websites for any CISVer:
JB pedia: http://www.ijb.cisv.org/mwiki/index.php/Aloha

CISV resources: http://resources.cisv.org/front/index.html

CISV friends: http://friends.cisv.org/

International Website: http://www.cisv.org/

CISV USA website: http://www.cisvusa.org/

CISV devils: http://www.ijb.cisv.org/devils/main.php

Inspirational/ informational videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1JkKhAFr6E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVo3aKPFg-w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bb8P7dfjVw