The Flash Volume 22 Issue 2

FAROUND L ATHESWORLDH

Rocklin High School | Vol No. 22 Issue 2 | January 2015 | Cover Photo by Caitlin Seggerman

FLASH AROUND THE WORLD Table of Contents Sports

Reviews

4. Foreign Sports 5. Belly Dancing

20. Foreign Films 21. Food for Thought

Feature

Opinion

6-7. Intro to All Around the World 8. Foreign Exchange Students 9. Immigrants in Rocklin 10. Cultural Foods 11. Deeper than Dishes 12. Religions of the World 13. Foreign Fashion 14. School Trips Abroad 15. Military Families 16. Wanderlust 17. Let’s Go Places 18. Religious Holidays 19. Bilingual Students

22. GMOs in Russia 23. Post Secrets

Editor-in-Chief Lydia Tahraoui Co-Editor-in-Chief Elias Alba Design Editors Emily McCrary Rachel MacMaster Feature Photographer Caitlin Seggerman Photo Editors Destinee Czub Rachel Polivka Alyx Stone Assistant Editors Courtney Harper Faith Holloway Allyson Lent Sarah Lovejoy Staff Writers Riley Baldwin Marley Bauer Connor Bolli Shelby Boyajan Megan Bradbury Lindsay Carrier Grant Cluff Karl Danielsen Kendall DeRosa Garrett Gebhardt Allison Gerber Maure Gildea Efrain Gonzalez Courtney Harper Adrianna Havey Faith Holloway Allyson Lent Sarah Lovejoy Rebecca Michael Sawyer Milam Katelyn Morgan Jordan Noble Lauren Parker Jasmine Passey Melanie Seyfried Taylor Schoultz Jessica Valverde Photojournalists Allie Cleland Nicole Corsetti Destinee Czub Amanda DeLaby Arabella Martinez Taylor Sims Kaylin Smith Serena Straub

Y O U R

STORY PC: Kaylin Smith

your school

[julia dander]

Everyday, Julia Dander takes the day on head first, strong minded and determined. She doesn’t take life for granted, embracing as much as she can because she knows first hand how quickly it can be taken away. In 2007 Julia lost her brother to a motorcycle accident.

“What is your most vivid memory?”

“The day my sister got a phone call I knew something was wrong because her face and voice changed almost immediately.”

“Who was it on the phone?”

“My brother’s friend I think. I was only seven when my brother died.”

She tells me how she remembers where the exact crash had happened and how her and her family would go to the intersection and lay flowers in remembrance.

Julia’s brother Kim had only been in America for three years, seeing that her family brought him over from Mongolia after their father had made enough to provide for his son after three years of working and waiting.

“I was very young when I met my brother and was very confused when he had his accident,” she said. So after getting to know each other, they become more like your typical brother-sister bond. This made it harder for all of the family to swallow the upcoming news that awaited them.

The Your Story, Your School series is part of a assignment completed by all media students during the year. Subjects of these profiles are chosen at random and published in The Flash print and online editions, the @rocklinyearbook on Instagram, and in the Tonitrus yearbook. This assignment is inspired by CBS News Steve Hartman’s “Everyone Has a Story” and Brandon Stanton’s “Human of New York.”

After all the visits and spending quality time together her brother got into a motorcycle accident. He was driving and a car hadn’t seen him. The car crashed into the bike and killed him. Her family was devastated and heartbroken. Coming back from all this was challenging for the Dandar family.

“It taught me to cherish what you have, and don’t take advantage of the presence of your family,” the quiet freshman said.

She says she had an average family like any other and she couldn’t believe that something like this actually happened to them. They didn’t go out for a while and nothing got back to normal until one to two years later.

“After that our family was just quiet and conservative,” she said.

She takes her loss as a life lesson to never give up. Julia is doing as much as she can to follow her dreams of becoming a writer or artist. She understands that death is always potentially imminent and doesn’t want to waste life.

Julia went through a devastating loss and still pushes for life harder than most people, it has shaped her to become the strong, hard-working person she is today.

BY Riley Baldwin

in the

SPOT LIGHT PC: Sandy Chase,CC

[Lacrosse] “A team game, originally played by North American Indians, in which the ball is thrown, caught, and carried with a longhandled stick having a curved L-shaped or triangular frame at one end with a piece of shallow netting in the angle”. -Google Definitions

Imported sports

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t’s the fastest growing sport in America. Not soccer, not football, not baseball, and not basketball but surprisingly, rugby. The game originated in England, and was created in 1823 by William Webb Ellis. It was created when Ellis, who had a strong disregard for the rules of soccer, took the ball in his hands and ran with it, literally.

Rugby is now one of the most culturally diffused sports among young athletes. Its comparison to football is a common misjudgement. Although they run with the ball in their hands there are countless differences between the two sports. While in football the forward pass is one of the most essential plays, in Rugby this is illegal; in fact in Rugby you can only pass the ball backwards or sideways. The ball can only travel forward when kicked or carried.

Gavin Janis, a sophomore, was first introduced to the sport by his dad when he was nine and hasn’t stopped playing since. “I like how its unique and uncommon, I feel distinguished from everyone else and gives me something interesting to talk about. Also when I meet someone who also plays its a different connection because its so uncommon” says Gavin.

PC: Ed Phillips, CC

Desi Streater, a sophomore, was introduced to rugby by Gavin. Strongly agreeing, he feels as if playing rugby gives him an edge, and helps him appreciate more authentic and diverse sports.

“Playing rugby gives me a better understanding of why people enjoy playing different sports, like cricket,” adds Desi.

Rugby continues to grow in popularity not only in a world view but also in school. Gavin and Desi have introduced the sport to many other JV football players who will start playing this year.

[Rugby] “A team game played with an oval ball that may be kicked, carried, and passed from hand to hand. Points are scored by grounding the ball behind the opponents’ goal line (thereby scoring a try) or by kicking it between the two posts and over the crossbar of the opponents’ goal.”

-Google Definitions

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Kurtis Koch, also a sophomore, was introduced to rugby first by his brother but it was his friends who really changed his view and influenced him to play.

“I admit that the main reason I’m starting to play was just that it looked fun. I also wanted to experience something other than football and try something new and different ,” said Kurtis.

BY Kendall Derosa and Jessie Valverde

can actually understand, which makes the steps easier to learn,” Mehta adds.

Although these complex dances require skill and precision, the performances don’t tend to focus on competition.

“The performances are more of cultural celebrations or festivals. The purpose isn’t to find the best dancer but to celebrate our culture and our heritage. Competition is a part of it, but it is not the center focus.”

Music can be one of the most defining aspects for any culture. In India, music and dance are meshed closely, partially due to the influence of Bollywood style movies.

“Music and dance has always been a source of pride because it is so unique to our culture. It is such a big part of me that I really can’t see myself completely apart from it. It is also a major way for me to keep in touch with my culture, especially when I am away from my family. Plus it’s a super fun way to get exercise.”

[Fusing Culture and Dance] When you think of ethnic Indian dance, you probably conjure up images of colorful costumes, music, and Bollywood movies. For Sneha Mehta, a senior, this dance means so much more.

Sneha started dancing when she was four, and has continued to do so for over 13 years. She has also passed on her knowledge by teaching dance to young children.

“I’ve spent most of my time learning two styles of dance: a traditional form called Bharat Natyam and a more modern Bollywood fusion style,” Mehta explains.

BY Melanie Seyfried and Shelby Boyajan

“The performances are more of cultural celebrations or festivals.

The purpose isn’t to find the best dancer but to celebrate our culture and our heritage.

Competition is a part of it, but it is not the center focus.”

Bharat Natyam is a religious dance; its name means rhythm and expression. Each scene depicts a different story with sections of dance between verses. The dances are choreographed, so there is no free form dancing.

Most of the songs for Bharat Natyam are sung in South Indian languages.

Bollywood style dance is becoming increasingly popular, especially in the US and western culture. Bollywood music is sung in Hindi, and the dance is more similar to western styles. A unique aspect of these dances is the interwoven theatrical elements. This is partially due to the fact that most Hindi music originates from movies.

“Personally, I find [Bollywood] a lot more fun because it is a lot less structured and the songs are in a language I

s

AROUND THE WORLD This year’s issues of the Flash are each centered around separate themes that bear significance to both Rocklin High School and the world at large. For this issue, the theme is Around the World. Modern advances have allowed global culture to permeate into our daily lives. From the clothes we wear to the food we eat, from the language we speak to those we call friends, we are surrounded by the cultures of distant lands. Globalism effects just about every student at Rocklin, whether we realize or not. As you read on, we hope you not only learn about ways of life in nations abroad, but also about how rich foreign cultures are present even in this tiny suburb we call home.

-Lydia Tahraoui and Elias Alba 2014-2015 Flash Editors-in-Chief

NEW FACES

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

T

PC: Rachel Polivka

he concept of foreign exchange students has become increasingly common in our little bubble that is Rocklin. Last year, the impact that former student, Gonzalo Sanchez, had on Rocklin High was massively spread, and this year we have Peruvian student Allison Izarnotegui Cozallos and Italian student Federico Fadiga to take his place.

She feels that speaking English is a very important life-skill and due to Peru’s not-soexcellent English program, Allison wants to make sure that she takes this opportunity to master in speaking our language.

However, their reasons for being here in America are polar opposites of each other.

“My dad talked about it since I was really little, it’s kind of a dream I grew up with, the idea of coming here,” said Federico.

“I need to learn the language,” said Allison. “In Europe, we grow up with American television and American movies so American high school is kind of a myth in Europe because it’s really different from our schools and so I wanted to learn about your culture and how you live your lifestyle,” said Federico.

For Allison, being that she is enrolled in college, learning English at her university isn’t at the highest standards; in fact the class itself is very underachieving and does not help their students excel in the language.

Being here in America is her chance to improve drastically, and use what she learns here to better herself later in life.

“My English is difficult for me and the words are just difficult,” said Allison.

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However, in Federico’s case, America is his chance to gain a worldly experience and is even considered a dream come true.

Both coming from such exotic and wondrous places in this world, it is almost impossible to believe that they wouldn’t miss anything from back home, but even the small things matter.

When asked what he misses most about Italy, Federico simply answered, “Pasta.”

So while Federico goes a full school term without authentic Italian pasta and Allison aims to become bilingual, Rocklin continues to be a welcoming atmosphere, accepting these two individual’s cultures and goals with open arms.

BY Courtney Harper

[Mixing it up]

Immigrants from around the world add variety to campus

PC: Rachel Polivka

A

t first glance, Rocklin High School appears to be the least diverse school in California. However, a closer look reveals that the students and their origins are far more heterogeneous than originally meets the eye.

Senior Annira Syarifah Syd Abd Rahman made the massive move from Malaysia to the States when she was a young child.

“My mom got this grant given by the government that allowed her and her family to go to America with a visa. She took me, my two brothers, and we moved to California, then Oregon, and back to California,” she stated.

Fortunately, Annira was able to visit her native country three years ago. She was grateful for this because most of her family continue to reside in Malaysia.

PC: Arabella Martinez

“I definitely miss my family the most,” she said. “I have so much family in Malaysia, and I don’t really have any in America. It’s hard being away from them.”

Her story is not unlike junior Connor Emsley’s, who also moved to America at a young age.

“I’m from Zimbabwe, Africa.” he stated. “I moved here in 2005 when I was 7. We moved because my parents won the green card lottery. There’s like a one in fifty thousand chance in winning.”

Although Connor has lived in the states over half of his life, he says he still considers Zimbabwe his home. His friends, food, and the climate are among the things he misses from Zimbabwe.

“I miss the morning air,” he said. “There’s something about it that you don’t get here, and the

PC: Rachel Polivka

weather year-round is really nice.”

Senior Carl Samuelson can relate.

Born in Sweden, later moving to England, and finally to Rocklin last year, food and weather are at the top of the list of things he misses the most about home.

“Fish and chips, indian food, kebabs, candy, drinks,” he said.

“It’s way too warm here. I miss the rain.”

Even after a year, Carl -- like most of the town’s teenage residents -- is itching to get out of Rocklin.

“I’m not staying here, not in Rocklin, no,” he stated. “I am staying in here in America for college, but after that I have no idea.”

BY Maure Gildea

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Cultural FOODS BARBERRY RICE AN IRANIAN DISH

Recipe by Azin Mirzaagha; reported by Melanie Seyfried and Shelby Boyajan This delicious Iranian recipe is provided by senior Azin Mirzaagha. Azin’s family is from Iran, and in their culture, recipes are homemade, full of exquisite flavor, and filled with a whole lot of love. When Azin’s relatives visit her, her whole family contributes to making the most flavorful meals possible. The ingredients that pack a big ‘punch’ of flavor are the many spices in this recipe; such as the garlic cloves, ground saffron, Persian spice and of course, the barberries themselves.

Ingredients 2 cups long grain basmati rice 1 frying chicken (3 pounds) 2 peeled onions, 1 whole and 1 thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, peeled 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 4 tablespoons hot water

2 cups dried barberries cleaned, washed, and drained 2/3 cup clarified butter or oil 4 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons plain yogurt 1 teaspoon Persian spice mix or 1 tablespoon ground cumin seeds 2 tablespoons slivered almonds 2 tablespoons slivered pistachios

1. Clean and wash 3 cups of rice 5 times in warm water 2. Place the whole chicken in a baking dish. Stuff the bird with an onion and garlic, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon saffron water. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 2 hours 3. Clean the barberries and place them in a colander. Place colander in a large container full of cold water and allow barberries to soak for 20 minutes. Take the colander out of the container and run cold water over the barberries; drain and set aside.

4. Saute 1 sliced onion in 2 tablespoons butter, and barberries and saute for 1 minute over low heat. Add 4 tablespoons sugar, mix well, and set aside.

5. Bring 8 cups water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil in a large, non-stick pot. Pour the washed and drained rice into the pot. Boil for 6 to 10 minutes, gently stirring to loosen any grains stuck to the bottom. Drain rice in a fine-mesh colander and rinse in 2 or 3 cups warm water.

6. In the same pot heat 4 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons water.

7. In a bowl, mix 2 spatulas of rice, the yogurt, and a few

drops of saffron water, and spread the mixture over the bottom of the pot to form a tender crust.

8. Place 2 spatulas full of rice in the pot, then sprinkle ½ teaspoon Persian spice-mix over the rice. Repeat these steps, arranging the rice in the shape of a pyramid. Cover and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.

9. Mix the remaining melted butter and saffron water with ¼ cup of water and pour over the pyramid. Place a clean dish towel or paper towel over the pot; cover firmly with the lid. Cook for 50 minutes longer over low heat.

10. Remove the pot from heat and allow to cool, covered, for 5 minutes on a damp surface to free crust from the bottom of the pot.

11. Remove lid and take out 2 tablespoons of saffronflavored rice and set aside for use as garnish.

12. Place rice on a serving platter in alternating layers with the barberry mixture. Mound the rice in the shape of a cone. Arrange the chicken around the platter. Finally, decorate the top of the mound with the saffron-flavored rice, some of the barberry mixture, and almonds, and pistachios.

Nush-e Jan! - Iranian for bon appetit!

Instructions

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CULTURE to the table

Family legacy at meal time part of national traditions

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he average American eats nearly one ton (1996 lbs.) of food every year, so it’s easy to assume that food is one of the largest suppliers for traveling and jobs. Food has a steady impact on all cultures, but with outsourcing, ingenuity, and difference it has lost its meaning in society today. For example, the amount of people authentically celebrating culture has diminished severely. It’s only a rare few that bring back that tradition, and in doing so, the spirit of the world.

nutrition side through cooking… therefore there is a large amount of importance is placed on young women to learn to cook for their families. Nowadays, young latinas are embracing their culture less and less and forgetting old family recipes and without anyone to learn these recipes they will away and future generations will not share the same memories as I of cooking with my Grandma and Mom.”

As a vast majority do, culture is passed down lineally through heritage, but sometimes it’s the familial bond with food that brings people together. As for Kylie Fujii, a Chinese-American sophomore here at Rocklin High, she celebrates her Chinese heritage with her family for Chinese New Year, which incorporates many people into a wonderful celebration of vast quantities of food and happiness. This tradition brings people together; she remembers this one Buddhist dish that bonds,

“I think Hispanic food is viewed as strange in America… ever since we moved to the United States, the idea of a lighter lunch and a heavier dinner rather than a heavy lunch and bread with coffee for dinner has grown in my family.”

“There is a dish called Jai that everyone has to eat at least one bite for good luck for a year.”

This yearly tradition brings her family together for a happy celebration of new beginnings. She continued to explain, “The family is brought together by Chinese New Year because all the extended family is under the same roof, wishing each other good luck and happiness in the next year… To be honest with you I don’t know why the dish brings good luck. It’s just something I’ve grown up with inherently knowing. No one really tells you why, it just does.”

Tales of good fortune are not the only connection, food can easily include people through celebrations like Día de los Muertos. Multiple Spanish classes were able to celebrate one of the most treasured Mexican holidays with authentic celebration, food and styles. Isabel Mendoza, a proud Mexican, always supplies some different genuine dishes that bring the life of the party and give flavor to an otherwise separate world and wants to say, “I think that our food is well known worldwide, but its importance and impact in our culture is not recognized.

I believe that as a whole, Mexicans are very caring and nurturing people and the women especially express their

A similar point came from Mario Flores, who is Ecuadorian; he actively supports in Spanish class and is involved with his heritage, but says a similar,

Mario strongly claimed how the food culturally changed from Ecuador to American with the larger portions and how a lot of the meaning has been lost. His family now did not follow the average traditions of his Ecuadorian past and has been changed by this ever-hungry country.

It can be the smallest of gifts that can have the greatest impact; even with simple sharing of differences with friends, brings people closer with older methods of food, with modern twists. Alison Yeo, a Chinese-American, regularly brings a dish of potstickers, and shares with her friends, becoming a cult classic.

“My friends are especially in love with my mother’s potstickers (my mother’s because I am quite terrible at folding them), they always steal a few of them when ever I have them for lunch and insist I bring them to parties.

The making of pot stickers with other traditional dishes, connects her friends and her family with celebrations as previously stated, but also quite literally brings her culture to the table.

Food brings people together, it is a necessity that includes different groups on one common ground to openly shares stories, influence, and overall enjoy. Belle Maalouf, a passionate Lebanese, shares this importance.

“I think that food is a huge part of culture no matter where you are, and eating food from a particular culture connects and helps you and experience a bit of it.

BY Grant Cluff

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RELIGIOUS TIES Students celebrate religious holidays

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eligion is one of the most influential aspects of cultures worldwide. It drives people to make choices in their lives and dictates how they live.In Rocklin, religion isn’t very diverse. Out of 111 students, 69 people said that they followed the Christian belief. Opposed to that, 28 students said that they had no religion.

Despite there being few at RHS who practice other religions, such religions still play a major part in their lives. For Matthew Olker, Judaism has composed most of his life.

“I’ve gone to religious school every Sunday for as long as I can remember to teach me about the religion and then later prepare me for my bar mitzvah -- which is a coming of age ceremony for boys,” Matthew said. Matthew volunteers at his temple every Sunday to help out with education.

Judaism is matriarchal, so Matthew follows his mother’s religion rather than his father’s, which is Catholicism.

Another student, Austin Tran, talked about his belief system, Buddhism. Buddhism originated in India, somewhere between the sixth and fourth centuries BC. The founder, known as the Buddha, talked about suffering and how people can put an end to it.

“We practice finding a middle ground in life. We don’t have too much excess,” Austin said. But “we don’t believe in living in squalor.”

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PC: Ally Stone

Buddhism is all about finding the Middle Path, allowing adherents to live a neutral life, not being too biased towards anything. Austin believes in Buddhism because of his parent’s influence and that he feels it’s necessary to believe in something, that Buddhism is a peaceful, guiding religion.

Muhammad Fusenig follows Islam. The religion makes sense to him and he feels he can connect more to it. Islam is, like Buddhism, an old religion that originated in Arabia.

“It doesn’t really hinder or do anything negative. There are some derogatory terms when people are really prejudice to that, but I don’t really feel that at Rocklin,” Muhammad said about how his religion affects his life.

Muhammad believes in his faith because he agrees in all of the creeds and scriptures Islam has to offer. Sometimes he gets looks when he says his name is ‘Muhammad’ in Starbucks, but it doesn’t faze him.

Religions can give people cultural connections and can help some people meet others through their faith. They often give people an identity and a sense of hope. It helps guide them through their lives and provide a sense of belonging.

BY Rebecca Michael

FOREIGN [FASHION] Although students on campus follow trends, students with a diverse background are still exposed to their ancestor’s clothing. While there are few students that actually dress in their own cultures’ traditional garb, many of them know of their ancestors’ history.

Azin Mirzaagha, a RHS senior, is Iranian and has many family members living in Iran. In Iran, there are specific dress codes that everyone needs to abide by. Out of respect for the Islamic religion, men are not allowed to wear shorts, women are required to wear a headdress, and nobody is allowed to show his/her arms or legs.

“When I visit my family, I have to wear a headdress since Iran is an Islamic country,” Azin said.

While Iran moves towards westernized fashions in their everyday life, they still have traditional outfits. These traditional outfits include a headdress with lots of jewels and color. The skirts and tunics are also more formal. Azin said, “a lot of different kinds of vests and tunics are worn for their traditional Iranian festivities”, like their Christmas and New Year.

Like Azin, Maeve O’Brien also has family residing in another country. Maeve, a senior, has a lot of family currently living in Ireland. The people of Ireland dress very similar to Americans, but they call clothing items different names.

clothing styles around the world

in Ireland, the Irish wear green patches.

“Everyone wears them,” Maeve said, “my grandparents send me one every year. People do it to show their heritage.”

Along with the patches, Ireland natives in the 1900’s wore black and cream heavy wool sweaters. Men often wore very loose fitting wool pants, flat caps, and waistcoats. The woman wore solid colored skirts, dresses, and shawls.

Besides everyday clothing, the kilt was, and still is, used for parades and other special occasions.

Additionally, Nicole Dominguez, a junior at RHS, has Chinese heritage.

Since Nicole’s Chinese side of her family lives close to her, she is exposed the traditional Chinese styles. “A lot of [traditonal clothes] have really intricate designs, and normally they are red because that’s the lucky color for the Chinese,” Nicole said.

PC: Jamie McCaffrey/CC

PC: Adrianna Havey

While very westernized today, traditional garb is still sold and worn during special events and holidays throughout the year.

For example, they are worn during the Chinese New Year festivities and could also be worn in weddings.

Nicole said, “normally they have really fancy buttons and loops that are made from intricate knots. They still sell the traditional clothing [in China]. A lot of them are made out of silk.”

“We call rainboots wellies and pants trousers,” Maeve said.

All over Rocklin High School, students with different ethnic backgrounds, like Azin, Maeve, and Nicole, still value their culture’s traditional fashions.

On Saint Patrick’s Day, a major holiday

BY Adrianna Havey and Lindsay Carrier

PC: Paul Keller, CC

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WE ARE

FA M I LY {adoption} I

t no longer seems unusual at Rocklin for people to move here with their families from other countries, but several students were even adopted from different parts of the world.

Junior Jacqueline Warren went from Amway, China all the way to sunny California after being adopted when The countries with the highest adoption she was just 15 months old. She knows rates are China, Haiti, Democratic nothing about her biological family, as Republic of Congo, and Ukraine. she was dropped off at a police station when she was a few days old. She says that her parents adopted her because they thought it would “be nice to give someone else a home” said Warren.

People who speak more than one language have, on average, IQs that are 20 points higher.

If she hadn’t been adopted and still lived with her biological family, she thinks that she would live a much stricter lifestyle since she would be living under Chinese customs. Warren believes she would be working “in the fields or a factory. I have a lot more opportunities here.”

Warren has never met or been in contact with her biological family. “I think it would be kind of cool to see who it was. But by now I don’t really care that much since it has been so long.”

The average military family will live in four different houses over the span of ten years.

She thinks of America as her home, but wishes to go to China someday. She plans to go when she is older since her mother is afraid of her being kidnapped and sold off to be married if she went now. “They have an issue of not having enough women there” said Warren.

Though she has never visited or lived in China, she tries to stay connected to the

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Chinese culture by celebrating Chinese New Years.

Senior Leah Steele was also adopted from China. She was 8 months old when her parents adopted her on Christmas day. Just like Warren, Steele would like to visit China some day and has no knowledge of her biological family.

She would love to meet them though. “I just don’t have enough information to find them. I only know the town I was born in. They probably aren’t living though since I was born in a very poor part of China.”

Steele has learned to appreciate other cultures thanks to being adopted and it has opened her eyes “to more of the world.”

She would like to be more connected to the Chinese culture, but no one is forcing her to be. “It is ultimately my choice. My mom tried to enroll me in a Chinese-Mandarin culture school and I became tired of having to go. When I grow up, I hope to embrace it more.”

Though she isn’t sure, Steele said her biological parents might have had another child. If they did, she would love to get the chance to meet him or her. “I do assume I have a couple. I probably have a brother and they kept him because of the Chinese wanting boys. If I had the information or if they are still alive, I would absolutely love to meet them.”

BY Taylor Schoultz

{military} I

f you know a military family, you know that their life is challenged with constant travel and moving. In fact, statistics show that military families are 2.4 times more likely to relocate, with an average of every 2-3 years, according to dosomething.org. This is no different for students attending Rocklin High.

Sophomore Abby Nash knows this exact feeling.

Her father is a Commanding Officer in the Coast Guard. He pilots a C1-30 for various coastal missions -in other words to save people in the ocean.

in living in different places. Marina’s father is a computer technician in the Air Force. Because of it, her family has lived in Hawaii, Alaska, Germany and California.

Marina enjoyed living in Germany the most as it was “a different culture shock” explaining that the food was more authentic, restrooms were disparate, and even a distinct driving systemautobahn, where there is no speed limit.

Like Abby, Marina had to relocate throughout school years, but said she “never had a hard time making friends moving to each school, until [she] As expected, Abby has migrated to and from got to Rocklin.” She noted that Rocklin is a small many places, including Wisconsin, Houston, town, and by the time high school comes around, Alaska, North Carolina and Alabama. She really everyone already knows each other, so at first, it enjoyed living in Alabama, saying “I had so many was hard making friends. more friends, and the area was just beautiful,” but Rocklin remains her favorite. Her father plans on Luckily, Marina gets to finish her last year of high moving the summer before Abby’s senior year. school at Rocklin since her father plans on retiring here in California.

Even though Abby and her family get to experience living in different states, her home life Living in different places and being exposed to is still challenging. When she was younger, Abby diverse cultures has taught Marina to “accept was moving in the middle of the school year, different cultures and try different foods.” If she constantly having to transition to new curriculums had not moved to Germany, she would not have and making new friends. However, as she got met her best friend in the eighth grade. Since older, her father started to travel to places by then, her friend has moved to Montana and they himself, places as far as Spain. “He’s always still keep in contact. away for a couple of weeks or months, then he has this plan to stay [home] for a couple months.” Even though they are bombarded with constant traveling, both Marina and Abby have seen new Aside from home life, Abby still keeps in contact places and have been exposed to new cultures, with her best friend in Alabama, and planned something that they plan to continue doing even to visit her during Christmas break. Discovering when they are older. that it was easy for her to make friends, living in

BY Lauren Parker and Allison Gerber different states has taught Abby to not be afraid of creating new friendships.

Senior Marina Stengl has also had her fair share

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Wanderlust: [ /wänder,lest/n. a strong desire to travel ]

PC: Caitlin Seggerman While some of her friends laid in bed all summer, she was out traveling the world. Leah Brewster, a senior, traveled unattended on a 15+ hour nonstop flight to the experience of a lifetime: summer in Japan.

On the other side of our planet, freshman Taylor Hopkins visited Scandinavia. Roaming around on the vast green lands of Denmark, she moved from house to house, staying with friends and family.

She ventured out into the big city of Tokyo by herself, traveling only by the extensive train system. After the long, exhausting trip she got picked up by her grandma who knows very little english.

In the 2 weeks she was there, she moved around the country, experiencing a new adventure each day. On the quiet streets she found fun and wonder, even though she can’t even remember the names of the cities she visited.

“It was hard at first, but we found a way to communicate with each other,” Leah said.

Taylor saw everything from viking castles to navy bands.

Her favorite place was the botanical gardens, a large and peaceful park where music plays throughout. In these gardens, the diversity of the plants has no limit.

She stayed in a small apartment but ventured out into the city daily. With bright neon lights and huge signs everywhere, it’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed there.

“There were so many people! Everyone was so nice and inviting, I felt so comfortable,” Leah said.

She was steadfastly unintimidated by the city’s barrage of strobing media. Surprisingly, in the big city of Tokyo, Leah felt more connected than she did in her little hometown of Rocklin.

Leah’s adventure helped her feel more independent and self-confident. She got in touch with herself and her heritage just by exploring her curiosity of the big city of Tokyo.

feature | 16

“I googled the country and it said it was one of the happiest on earth, it was right. I would go back any day!” stated Taylor.

Taylor found excitement both on land and in the sea. She sailed from southern Denmark to a new city on a 2 day yacht trip, where she continued her exploration of the beautiful country.

Taylor and Leah experienced the summer trip of a lifetime, and took advantage of their circumstances to explore and learn more.

BY Riley Baldwin and Garret Gebhardt

[ Why spend your summer in Rocklin when you could be traveling around the world? During the summer of 2015, many RHS students will tour Europe with one of two groups: France, Germany, and the Alps with EF (Education First) Tours or England and France with the WorldStrides International Discovery program.

RHS faculty members Mr. Ryan O’Donnell, Mr. Ryan Spears, and Mrs. Sarah Gillette are accompanying the EF tour group to France, Germany and the Alps, currently consisting of 33 students. The trip is roughly scheduled around a mid-June departure date from San Francisco.

The group will spend the first three days of their trip in Paris, France where they will see famous sites such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Louvre.

Claire Tooley, a current junior, said she is most looking forward to visiting Paris.

“It possesses a distinct culture and landmarks that you have to see before you die,” she said.

Let’s Go PLACES

]

RHS junior Emily Masnica is thrilled to witness the beauty of this particular European landscape.

“I know it’ll be beautiful and I watched The Sound of Music a lot when I was younger,” Emily said.

At the tour’s stop in Munich, Germany, students will see Neuschwanstein Castle, the Olympic stadium, and much more. Most notably, the group will visit Dachau, a World War II Nazi concentration camp.

The group has elected to add a two-day extension to their tour in order to visit Berlin Germany. There, they will wrap up their European adventure by seeing the remains of the Berlin Wall. Lastly, they will visit Checkpoint Charlie Museum.

The trip welcomes all curious students eager to immerse themselves in European history and learn more about the world. It is an opportunity to witness monumental historical landmarks and beautiful art.

BY Ally Lent and Faith Holloway

Students will also visit the grand palace of Versailles, an optional excursion offered by EF Tours. Here they will be exposed to the lavish lifestyle of King Louis XIV. Next, students will visit Lucerne and the majestic Swiss Alps, where they will see the Lion Monument and Chapel Bridge.

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Courtesy of CC byKarol Franks

{CELEBRATE} I

n America, we tend to think that our way is the “correct” way. This is especially present in our holidays, with Americans rejoicing in their seasonal celebrations. However, what we don’t realize while wrapped up in the frenzied consumerism of an American holiday is that there are other holidays in other cultures.

An example of this would be the wellknown Chinese New Year, a celebration of the turn of the Chinese calendar.

In America, the holiday is noted a few times in the lower grades of elementary school and is generally seen as a huge parade, filled with red envelopes and firecrackers.

“My family just goes to my grandmother’s house to celebrate. It’s sort of like Thanksgiving, but with Chinese food,” said Breydon Lau, a Rocklin sophomore.

According to Breydon, the holiday of Chinese New Year is a relaxed, family-based affair. His family meets at his grandmother’s home and has a large dinner together. As he said, the holiday bears a striking resemblance to American Thanksgiving. The holidays share

feature | 18

the elements of a large family meal and time spent with relatives, despite their separate cultures of origin.

Continuing with the New Year themes, the Sri Lankan New Year takes place on the 13th of April (14th on leap years) in Sri Lanka, off the southern coast of India, and carries just as much if not more weight than the Chinese New Year. Its roots are in the astrologically-determined Sinhalese New Year, also known as Aluth Avurudda. ”It’s about celebrating the new year.

We have a lot of competitions and games,” said said Hiruni Perera, a sophomore at RHS. She put particular emphasis on the donut-eating contests. These are a good symbol of the holiday, showing its festive, celebratory nature. Despite its start with the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka, the holiday has become a public favorite for all Sri Lankans.

Another holiday often oversimplified

by Americans is Hanukkah. It is simply seen as a Jewish version of Christmas that lasts eight days. However, the goal of this Jewish holiday is very different

from that of an Americanized Christmas.

“It’s more solemn. You don’t have a party, you reflect on the year,” Rocklin sophomore Steven Abramowitz said.

To celebrate Hanukkah, Steven’s family gathers together and looks back over their year. They find ways to improve themselves and look forward to the year ahead. Hanukkah is simply meant to give its followers a time of reflection and an opportunity to find ways to improve one’s self, alongside the eight days of gifting.

Detailed above is the tiniest fraction of holidays in other cultures. Some are geographical and some are religious, but they all showcase something different,something new and something that we could learn from.

Holidays are happy times, times to reflect and enjoy our lives with those closest to us. American people could do well to think about that while they are elbowing others out of the way for the perfect gift.

BY Marley Bauer and Connor Bolli

BILIN GUAL

1 in 5 school-aged children speak a language other than English at home 20% of Americans speak more than one language % of Americans % of Americans who speak only who speak one language more than one languagfe Designed by Emily McCrary using Piktochart

T

he train moves quickly across the French countryside.

Ana’s Tournier wants to hear her cousin, who has been learning English, speak with her for the first time.

“It was a mess,” she said. “She was saying things like ‘I is’ and basically making no sense. These two British men behind us were laughing, because they thought we couldn’t speak English at all. I turned around and said something to them in perfect English. That shut them up!”

Junior Ana’s, who was born in America to French-speaking parents, learned French as her first language. However, she was exposed to English at three and was fluent by kindergarten.

“They wanted to put my brother, Matteo, and I in special classes to learn English, but by the time we reached fifth grade, we were as fluent as any other English-speaking student,” Ana’s said.

While many families tend to speak English in public, the Tournier family chooses to speak French in public because “it’s more intimate when you’re in a public setting. At home, my parents will talk to me in French and I’ll respond back in English.”

Ana’s, despite being fluent in French, originally chose to take Spanish in high school.

“My parents wanted me to take French because my writing needed work. I took French 2 freshman year and French 4 sophomore year, but I took Spanish 1 in eighth grade and loved it, so I just kept going through Spanish.”

While California has always been a largely bilingual state, the numbers are growing, with 32.8% of Californians being multilingual as of 2007, compared to the national average of 20%. There are some major advantages of being bilingual, including better concentration, cultural awareness,

increases in creativity, problem solving, multitasking skills, and advantages in finding jobs later in life.

At this point, bilingual or multilingual speakers actually outnumber monolingual speakers throughout the world due to a spread of culturalism.

Junior Elizabeth Ha not only speaks Korean and English, but is also taking French 3 Honors at Rocklin. While Korean is her native language, she thinks that English was easier to learn because it is simpler compared to Korean.

“English is difficult and Korean is natural for me, but there are different words for ‘hi’ depending on whether it’s informal, formal, or traditional in Korean, and it gets very complicated.”

Elizabeth, as an only child, was exposed to a way of learning English from her parents that they still practice with her today.

“My mom really wanted a balancing act, so while we’re at home, my mom will speak to me exclusively in Korean while my dad will speak to me in English. It’s been like that for so long that if my dad speaks to me in Korean it’s weird!”

While many think that bilingualism is just a cool trick, it really can aid in the development of a person’s brain, and can offset dementia and Alzheimer’s for up to four years in senior citizens. Speaking two languages is big in itself, but what it can do for the rest of your life is monumental.

BY Katelyn Morgan

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foreign A Separation

MEDIA

A Separation is a compilation of the personal stories of an Iranian family deteriorating over situational problems such as a dissatisfied mother wanting the best for her child, a grandfather with Alzheimers, a husband as a devoted caregiver whose drive is to take care of his father and a stubborn 6th grader caught in between.This 2011 film is in Persian, but even through a language barrier it’s highly acclaimed by many reputable sources.

A Separation connects the values of kinship, deceit, and verges the popular issue of moral and faith. It hits close to home with the disturbing relations to the stereotypical American family, despite the culture differences. Set in Iran, it shines light on how similar cultures really are, while still accentuating the differences.From the beginning of divorce to a trial of madness and help, the entire cast portray these chaotic characters very well in a wrappedup drama relating to the sanctity of house and home. The entire film is beautifully manifested with the close personal invitation to how these people live. This movie is a must see. It’s a ride for all people to enjoy, savor, and experience such a brilliant film about tradition, love, and corrupt principles.

The entire film suggests the question from the very beginning, “How far are you willing to go for yourself and your family?”

BY Grant Cluff

Bastille

But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all. Bastille, an English band that came together in 2010, sprouted popularity just a year or so ago, and has already attracted thousands of fans worldwide. Originally based in London, the group has grown vastly popular and are traveling the world on tours. Being a fan of their music, I immediately bought a ticket to their fall show. We walked to the line at about 4:30 that was formed at the door and there were about 150 people already waiting in line, who looked like they had been there all day. When Bastille came out, they started with Things We Lost in the Fire. They also had played their hit song Pompeii, which shook the entire room. Dan Smith, the lead singer, was full of energy, bouncing and dancing around on the stage. There was a big drum in the middle of the stage, which at parts of songs, Dan would bang on the head to the beat, which made the songs all the better. They were well worth the wait. They played more songs than I could even name, with extreme talent. They had sounded even better live than on any of their CDs. The vocals were absolutely amazing. It was clear that almost no editing was used when they recorded, because lead singer Dan Smith’s voice was breathtaking. This concert rekindled my love for the band and we all should be keeping our eye out for their next album hoping to come out soon.

BY Allison Gerber

reviews | 20

BAMBU

food for thought

ORCHID THAI CUISINE

The food was superb and provided a lot of options for vegetarians.

Everything tasted up to par and you could tell it was authentic. The only complaint was that the vegetables were undercooked, but besides that it was a very tasty, unique, and satisfying.

The decor of the restaurant was inviting and interesting as it made you feel surrounded by the culture of Thailand. The only negative was that the music was loud, almost too loud to the point of distracting you. The waiters were separating dishes out in the open and doing busy work that was noticeable to the customers. Place settings and silverware were on a table out in the open, instead of being on your table when you sat down, making the restaurant seem cluttered.

The service was on the higher end. The waitress only came by a few times, and took a while to give us the check. But she also gave us her opinion on the best dishes, considering allergies and being vegetarian.

Overall experience was satisfying, the food exceptional and the environment and service, while bothersome, were tolerable. But an overall plus, coming from a vegetarian, was that each dish they served had a no-meat option

not the plant that Pandas frequently chow down on, but the drink. Specifically, Bambu is an Asian drink restaurant, specializing in smoothies with boba, jellies, or both, along with caffeinated drinks, milk teas and Asian desserts.

With over 30 locations, Bambu is a popular franchise that was founded by four sisters who started it as a hobby in 2008. Today, this “hobby” has spread all over the U.S., with a strong presence in the Bay Area.

Last year, Bambu was newly established in the Rocklin/Roseville area on Sunset Boulevard.

Once inside, you are introduced to a rather large menu and an array of chairs and tables, as well as a sitting area made up of couches in the back. With a large TV playing various types of music and a shelf of child games against the wall, Bambu holds a friendly vibe.

Bambu gives you an incredible amount of drink choices -- their smoothies being the most popular. Their boba and jelly is proudly displayed on the front counter and for the convenience of the customer, the shop lets you sample the jellies before you make your final decision on the Asian dessert accessories.

The drinks themselves are always fresh and light, a good go-to on a Saturday when you’re The menu had many choices, making it craving something other than Jamba Juice. almost impossible to choose from. It consisted However, while the drinks have the influence to of many meat based dishes. Every dish was put you in a good mood and the atmosphere is served steaming hot on stone plates. The meat welcoming, the service can be slow. was cooked thoroughly and had a lot of flavor.

It’s always frustrating when there happens The vegetables were bland until you personally to be new customers in front of you who try added sauces. to branch out in terms of exotic smoothies, yet The restaurant was mildly decorated to fit the always end up ordering the safest choice on Korean theme. The walls had few decorations, the menu after a good ten minutes of debating but it didn’t feel empty. The environment was whether or not to add the jelly or boba when quiet with soft music, that was very tolerable. they know that they could never step out of their With being some of the only customers in the comfort zone. restaurant, the service was focused primarily With that said, Bambu is great for meeting up on us. Almost feeling invaded, the worker stood with friends, grabbing an after-dinner treat with right next to us the entire time we looked over family and for simply being there if you’re in the our menus. But positively, the food came out mood to change up your diet. quickly and the worker continued to give us

BY Courtney Harper refills and the bill in a timely manor.

The overall experience was decent as the food was appetizing and the service was speedy. The only negatives were feeling invaded at times, and being rushed into ordering.

IRON GRILL KOREAN

BY Jessia Valverde and Kendall Derosa

r

GMOs

Image courtesy of Creative Commons BY Simon Leufstedt

/in Russia/

Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs for short, have long been a topic of debate here in the US and in many western countries. However, the debate has never really heated up, and outside of small circles GMOs are readily accepted and found in almost all US foods.

that has been met in the US with mostly partisan jeers.

However, overseas, a much fiercer battle over the fate of GMO foods has been brewing. GMOs are still hotly debated in the European Union, and more recently, the Russian Federation.

First, it gives an unfair advantage to the sellers of unmodified “organic” foods, which are harder to grow and arguably more dangerous than regular GMO foods, by discouraging people to buy GMO foods.

According to Russia Today, Russia’s lower house of parliament has passed a bill that requires businesses that use GMOs to label them. It introduces heavy fines for those businesses who fail to do so.

It also creates more overhead for companies, who now have to worry about being fined for their food ( and in the case of Russia, having their entire stock confiscated). Selling US-grown food in Russia will be harder because of the extra layer of regulation.

For the uninitiated, GMOs refer to foods that are modified in order to improve their resistance to the elements and output per acre. In the US, almost all of the crops grown are GMOs, with seeds being sold by biotech firms like Monsanto.

The worry of anti-GMO advocates is that GMOs may cause adverse health effects and irreparable damage to the environment. However, according to the Genetics Society of America there is an scientific consensus that GMO food does not cause any additional health risks.

In any case, the Lower House of Russia has decided to go on anyway with the creation of a GMO labeling law, a call

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The problem that Americans have seen with GMO labeling laws ( and one that Russia will encounter in the near future is two-fold.

Although, whatever side of the debate you fall on, it is clear that Russia itself is not only passing the law for the issue of GMOs themselves, but also to continue the increasing vendetta against western markets.

The law itself does not actually affect most Russian-grown food, since the majority of food grown in Russia is organic.

It only really affects importers like the US -- the largest food exporter in the world.

BY Jordan Noble and Efrain Gonzalez

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THE FLASH @RocklinHSflash www.rocklinhsflash.net @RocklinHSsports