Ariya Nathu WRIT340

First, let me be clear. I am not arguing that we should normalize alcoholism in any way. I kind of think that we already have. In college, especially at a social school like USC, alcohol use and substance use in general is normalized. There is a culture of binge drinking that a majority of college kids take part in. Going out Wednesday (or Thursday) through Saturday is totally acceptable. But what happens when you all of a sudden graduate college? Can we just flip a switch and have a normal relationship with alcohol? That might be harder to do than we think.  Binge drinking is considered to be 5 or more drinks on one occasion or more than 14 drinks in a week. As a college kid, I read that and was shocked. Normal-world drinking norms are so different than what we consider acceptable in college. College creates a culture where you take 5 (or sometimes even 8 or 9) shots just at the pregame before you get to the party or bar where you drink even more. Kids are so stressed and busy dur...

  For the first book, I chose to read  American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures. I really enjoyed this book and felt a personal connection with it. If you look around in any of your classes, you see that America has so many different cultures. Each person has a unique cultural background that comes with their own experiences. This can be a special and exciting experience, but it can sometimes be lonely and isolating.  I was born in Las Vegas but my entire family is of Indian descent. I have always felt a constant struggle of not being Indian enough for my family, but not being fully American compared to my peers. I was ashamed of my differences when I was younger. I went to temple, at Indian food, and celebrated Indian holidays. I was embarrassed of my different culture and resented it. I tried to hide my differences. As I got older, I lost my Indian practices. I stopped going to temple and stopped celebrating Indian holidays. I ate Indian food less and less...

  Horse FedEx How to Import a Horse from Europe     They don’t sell horses at PetSmart. That would have made my life so much easier. You know exactly where to go if you are in the market for a dog, cat, fish, or snake. But what if you’re in the market for a horse? Where is the horse store? I spent my life in the horse world, and it’s like the wizarding world of Hogwarts from  Harry Potter.  It is a different reality with its own language, dress code, rules, and dangers. To me, it all makes perfect sense. However, “normal” people are usually confused and curious about the equestrian (horse-riding) world.      Buying a horse is an involved, stressful, but exciting process that takes much more than a trip to PetSmart or your local animal shelter. What kind of horses are we talking about here? I imagine you are picturing the horses you see at the fair or in movies. What I am talking about is competitive horses for show jumping. I am first going to exp...

 For the first book, I chose to read American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures. I have almost finished the book and I have loved everything I have read so far. I have recommended this book to all of my friends as I think it is so important to read. The unique thing about America that is sometimes easy to forget is that there are so many cultures, perspectives, and representations in this country. However, despite all the talk about the American Dream and a melting pot of cultures, it does not always feel like that from a diverse point of view.  I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, and lived there my entire life before coming to LA for college. My dad was born in the UK but our entire family is of Indian descent. His parents and every relative before that were born in India. It's not that I never felt like I fit in, but more like I was not enough of each side of me. I was never Indian enough but not the same kind of American as a lot of my friends. This book put into w...

  Running a horse camp is like being at the circus. It is constant and complete chaos. I can imagine that not many people go to a six-week summer camp for aspiring equestrians (horse riders), so allow me to give you a brief idea of what that looks like.       Right about now you might be wondering what exactly a horse camp entails. It has many components of a normal summer camp such as arts and crafts, water games, songs, and educational experiences. However, you also learn how to care for and ride fifteen-hundred-pound animals.      There were certain difficulties with this program. The kids ranged in age from four or five years old to seventeen or eighteen. Some kids came to me never having been around horses in their life. Others came with years of experience. I usually had about twenty to thirty kids at any given time. It was also in Las Vegas during the summer. If you are at all familiar with Vegas, you know that that means you are absolutely baki...

 I was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. While I moved around a lot within Las Vegas, it is my home and where my family and friends are from.  After I graduate, I would like to stay in California and pursue entrepreneurship. I enjoy working with kids so I would like to pursue something that allows me to fulfill this passion. I will continue to explore different industries with children to see where there is a gap that I can fill. I currently run a club called Lemonade Day that educates children on business at local elementary schools. Through experiences like this one I will explore different opportunities to pursue.  I am similar to my dad as we share similar attitudes about education, work ethic, and ambition. We are wired in a similar way. However, I am unlike my dad as I am more sensitive to people's emotions, needs, and feelings.  I strongly feel that I have my own expectations for myself. I know the standards that I hold myself to and what I would like to a...