19 March 2015|Features|11
RAD RIDES
courtesy of natalia tasama-santa
Sophomore Nathalia Tasama-Santa (left) and her family and friends watch Colombia play in the World Cup. After the Colombian team won a game, the whole country errupted in celebration to show pride and support for its team.
A Mid-Columbia Colombian sonali matta
staff writer Sophomore Nathalia TasamaSanta is not an average high school girl. Not only is she a fluent Spanish speaker, she also lived in a South American country that not many of us talk about too often: Colombia. Tasama-Santa was actually born in New York, but moved to Colombia soon after. “My entire family is from Colombia, but my parents had me in New York because they wanted me to be an American citizen,” she said. Tasama-Santa lived in Colombia until she was nine years old, and then moved to the U.S. with her mom for her stepfather’s job. When asked about some of the differences between Colombia and the United States, Tasama-Santa described an average day in the city where she used to live, Cali.
“A typical day for me in Colombia would be waking up not too early, eating a good-sized breakfast with my whole family, going to school, coming home to a homemade lunch and then just doing my homework and relaxing,” Tasama-Santa said. She explained how most Colombian families have an empleada, or a nanny/caretaker, who would cook meals and clean the house since both parents were usually at work all day. Tasama-Santa talked about the outgoing Colombian spirit and how everyone inquires about how her day is going whenever she visits. “Everyone there is so friendly, and good-hearted and so passionate for their country.” There are also a lot of differences between Tasama-Santa’s two cultures, especially between schools and climates. She
described how most schools in Colombia are combined elementary through high school and have open-air campuses rather than closed buildings like in the U.S. As for the weather, TasamaSanta emphasized the warm temperatures that stayed all year in Colombia. “We don’t even have seasons there because it stays hot all the time. Even when it rains, it’s warm rain and very humid,” Tasama-Santa said. Tasama-Santa still misses Colombia a lot and loves to visit every chance she gets. However, she has also adjusted well to her life in the United States. “I was terrified to move here. I thought school would be like it is in the movies, like ‘Mean Girls.’ But it’s not like that at all,” Tasama-Santa said. “We adapted to the way life is here, but we brought our own Colombian roots with us.”
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katie peurrung|photographer
I drive a 2003 Dodge Stratus. I love my car because of how fast it is. I can get up to 140 miles an hour. My car is probably the best gift I’ve ever recieved.” Dylan Hart (11)
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katie peurrung|photographer
I drive a Honda Accord. I love my car because I didn’t have to buy it.” Garrett Bates (12)
LARP fights back victoriously
mickey shin |photographer
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LARP member junior Jackson Smith holds up a shield to defend himself from fellow member junior Anthony Pacheco’s oncoming blow. LARP meets with Gamers Club on Fridays after school in Tara Smith’s classroom, Room 2205.
kayla wilke
staff writer LARP, or Live Action Role-Playing, is an activity where participants fight with foam swords and dress up in various costumes. It took a few tries, but junior Jackson Smith was finally able to revive LARP Club this year. Jackson Smith discovered LARP when he was pretty young. “I first heard about it when I was nine. I watched a movie called ‘The Role Models,’” he said. One of Smith’s fellow members junior Anthony Pacheco explained the type of role he plays in LARP. “I’m a warrior. I use big weapons,” Pacheco said. Smith also elaborated on what LARP was to him. “It’s basically sword fighting. It requires mental and physical skill,” Jackson Smith said. When Smith was a freshman, he heard that our school had a huge and successful LARP Club to which over 70 people came. He was disappointed that it wasn’t still going. The club started up again Smith and Pacheco’s sophomore year with the help of science teacher Sara Flores-Anderson. Pacheco says that when he joined last year, fewer
than 10 people were coming to the club. Last year’s club was actually doing all right until someone chipped a tooth,” Smith said. “It was a miserable failure.” Flores-Anderson then decided the club was too dangerous. The club is a lot more organized now with Smith and Pacheco leading its comeback. “[The club] is better planned and better to be in the club now,” Pacheco said. There are no prerequisites for joining the club. The only requirement is coming to the meetings. “Basically, you just show up,” Smith said. In the past, Smith paid $20 out of his own pocket to buy materials to make all of the equipment the club needs. “The club wasn’t making any money because only five people were coming,” Pacheco said. “An average of 20 or more people come now.” To help the club expand, Smith decided to team up with Gamers Club to help keep LARP alive. Even though it’s stressful to start a club all over again, Smith is optimistic. “Because of what’s happened this year, I’m probably going to continue next year.”
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katie peurrung|photographer
I drive a Honda Accord. This car was my older brother’s car passed down to me, but just because I didn’t have a choice about what car I can get doesn’t mean I don’t love it.” Steven Joplin (11)
katie peurrung|photographer
I drive a 2005 Nissan Titan. I love my truck because I can pretend in my mind that I can run over people and other smaller cars.” Katie Smith (12)
REPORTED BY SEAN ELLER