In fact, Italy isn’t really all that different from the U.S. There is a McDonald’s down the street, the teenagers are loud, and you’re not cool unless you have an iPhone. But surprisingly enough, this similarity between cultures has taught me quite a lot. Maybe it’s the fact that I can identify with their lifestyle that makes me more aware of the nuances. I find that many of the things they do in Italy are the same things we do in the U.S., Italians just do them a little bit differently. Their McDonald’s has a café inside, their iPhone plans cost an arm and a leg, and the teenagers – well they’re still just teenagers. But it is the small differences that have taught me so much.

detailing the inner-workings of the Camorra, a powerful mafia organization from Naples. As you can imagine, taking on the Italian mafia is no breezy feat. Saviano now lives in a secret location and will have round-the-clock police protection for the rest of his life. But none of this is really why he came to mind when I decided to wonder about what is most important in life. Rather, I was reminded of a YouTube video I saw of Saviano talking about “10 cose per cui vale la pena vivere,” or, “10 things that make life worth living.” From my perspective, Saviano’s list embodies what Italians consider to be most essential. Here is what he shared:

(the translations are of the intended message and are not word-for-word)

Maybe I haven’t done anything during my time studying abroad that is going to change the world, but living in Italy has certainly changed me. I cannot provide you with deep insight into the events of the world today. Half of me wishes I could. But instead, I have been given a different kind of insight – the ability to understand myself. Okay, not completely, but unquestionably better than before. In terms of exploring the self, Italian culture has inspired me in a profound way. If nothing else, I will bring with me back to Claremont an awareness and an appreciation for the important things in my life. My list is not the same as Saviano’s. I’m sure yours is different, too. But if you ask an Italian, the important thing is that you have a list. That you take the crucial moments to recognize the things that make your life worth living. On behalf of my wonderful Italy, I encourage you to take the time while you’re walking to class, going for a run, or falling asleep to think about what makes your own life worth living. You don’t have to be in Italy to appreciate everything that is wonderful. L’amore da Italia, la vita è bella!

Alex Wheatley ’12!

Runner-Up: Sam Jolly ’12

While Alex and Sam showed their ultimate dedication to the cause by growing authentic mustaches, many of the artificial ones donned were quite commendable as well. Take a look!

(Photo credit: Jessica Dang ’13)

First, some playlist highlights:

“First Day of My Life” by Bright Eyes narrates that sweet kind of love every little girl dreams of and every guy denies its existence until it jabs him in the heart. Yours is the first face that I saw. I swear I was blind before I met you. Bright Eyes mastermind Conor Oberst describes that life-changing moment when you recognize you have fallen into something truly special. 

“No One’s Gonna Love You” by Cee-Lo is a cover of the popular Band of Horses song. Of course, all of you indie aficionados are probably wondering why we would choose the cover over the original. In our perspective they are equally great, but Cee-Lo’s rendition has a heart-wrenching music video to accompany it. Cee-Lo’s video narrates the decomposition of a relationship in the most raw emotion possible. You may be thinking that this isn’t exactly something to be celebrated, but Valentine’s Day celebrates love of all kinds, and what is more real than this?

“Red Right Ankle” by The Decemberists is much more interpretive. Some don’t even believe it to be a love song because it can be understood in many different ways. But for Valentine’s Day, lyrics like This is the story of the boys who loved you, who love you now and loved you then speak to a deep history between two lovers. The imagery of “muscle, bone and sinews tangled” describes a love so embedded in their beings that it exists underneath their skin.

Lastly, the song “Slow Show” by The National may be an unconventional one, as it depicts a much darker scene than would be expected from a Valentine’s Day anthem. Matt Berninger of The National is a true poet with his lyrics, and this song is a clear example of that. In “Slow Show” Berninger sings I wanna hurry home to you, put on a slow dumb show for you, and crack you up, describing the familiar feeling of being in an uncomfortable setting and longing for what is so natural and exhilarating. This song summarizes the “best friend” aspect of a relationship, when two people are so in sync and familiar with each other that they long for the comfort of each other’s presence. It is almost as if their familiarity with each other is born from a fated connection. The repetition of You know I dreamed about you for twenty nine years before I saw you at the end of the song sounds almost like a lullaby. I missed you for 29 years reinforces that sentiment that from the very start they were always meant to be together – that no one else could ever compare.

Featured image photo credit: Antique Soldiers

Before we get to the playlist, we want to share one of our favorite new songs we found during our exploration of contemporary Christmas music. “Boots” was the single released by The Killers as part of a charity for Project RED. As they have for the past four years, The Killers are donating all proceeds from their holiday single to fight AIDS. Therefore, we encourage you to buy the song on iTunes rather than download it for free. “Boots” is an incredible song but the tear-jerking video is what really puts it at the top of my list. See for yourself.

And now for that Christmas playlist I mentioned…

If you can’t get enough of the indie Christmas music, there’s tons more out there. Check out Indie Shuffle and Hype Machine‘s offerings for a hipster holiday, and definitely don’t miss Can You See The Sunset‘s 12 Days of Christmas MP3′s for 2010 series (which is actually 14 days, score!).

And because CMC’s student body is far more diverse than just containing those celebrating Christmas, we feel it necessary to share, for the enjoyment of anyone of the dreidel-spinning persuasion, the ingenious hilarity that is “Candelight” by the Maccabeats. (Note: we would have included more Hanukkah songs but it seems they are not as easy to come by as Christmas music. And we can lump Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah song in there with Run DMC, Mariah Carey and N’Sync).

If you have any songs to add including those from winter holidays other than Hanukkah and Christmas, please do share. Happy holidays everyone! Build a snowman and enjoy our time off.

Chris and Zach's home for eight weeks.

How many people in the world do you think live on less than $2.50 a day? The answer: Almost half of the world. This figure seems even more staggering when compared with the typical CMCer’s daily tab. We spend about $15.21 every time we swipe our card at Collins.

Zach Ingrasci and Chris Temple ’12 noticed something a bit funny about this difference. These zealous CMC students lunged at this issue with all the economic knowledge they could muster. Their solution? Microfinance, the provision of financial services to people facing poverty, especially in third world countries. Okay, Zach and Chris didn’t invent microfinance themselves, but they did put this revolutionary idea into practice in a unique, inspiring way.

Along with two other college students, Chris and Zach spent eight weeks this summer living on less than a dollar a day in a rural Guatemalan village with the objective of understanding what it means to subsist on such a meager sum. With camera in hand, the four boys started their project, Living On One Dollar-A-Day. CMCers may have noticed Zach and Chris when they appeared in our Facebook inboxes during the summer to update us about their experiences via video blogs.

Zach Ingrasci '12 hangs out with un niño in Peña Blanca, Guatemala.

In a tropical village on the other side of the equator, Zach (“Sr. Campesino”) and Chris (“Sr. Microfinanzas”) developed relationships with the local people and carefully observed the way they made ends meet on less than a dollar each day. The first realization that struck Zach and Chris was that “living on a dollar a day” does not mean you can expect to get one whole dollar every day. For Guatemalans, there is not a guarantee that each day will present a work opportunity and the pay that comes with the chance to labor. The boys simulated the unpredictability of income by drawing a piece of paper from a hat each morning. Each paper slip noted the amount of money the guys would receive that day.

By living frugally and unpredictably, they learned how crucial (yet difficult) budgeting such a small amount of money is. Everything had to be planned for and the guys kept a ridiculously detailed daily budget. The question at the forefront of their study quickly became clear. After short-term expenses for food, medicine, clothes, and emergencies, how can an individual save enough money for long-term opportunities like schooling or new business pursuits?

Chris Temple '12 and some friends.

Each day brought a new adventure and a new lesson. Zach and Chris learned the importance of planning for the future and relying on one’s community. The guys also realized the profound difference between their own lives in the United States and the lives of the Guatemalan village people with whom they interacted. Zach notes in the guys’ seventh video that although there are many parallels between the two lifestyles, it’s the things we take for granted that are the things these people depend on to survive every day.

Zach was particularly moved by the grave disparity between his experiences and those of two Guatemalan men working in construction. “I work eight hours a day and they work eight hours a day,” Zach explained, ” But when I go home, I eat a full meal and have a great bed to sleep in. When they go home, they get rice and tortillas. For someone to live on a diet of that, or less, and to be able to work how I work at home, or more – that just made a huge impact on me.”

Zach and Chris remain hopeful for the futures of their friends in Guatemala. A common theme throughout all of their videos is the resilience of character within the community’s individuals. Microfinance has empowered the village people to start businesses and send their children to school.  Most importantly, these people have hope for a better future without the hardships of poverty. Zach and Chris witnessed how microfinance transformed the spirit of a community and walked away from the experience with valuable insights.

Both guys have continued their adventures abroad this semester. Zach has spent his fall semester in Ecuador studying and working for Freedom from Hunger, a microfinance organization that provides health education. Chris is exploring Spain and has “gained back the 20 pounds” that he lost in Guatemala, and “fought off any lingering e-coli, giardia, and flea infestations.” Between adventures, both guys are helping the filmmakers transcribe interviews for the final documentary and working on creating more awareness for their video blog.

On November 12th, the first post of their video blog series was featured on YouTube’s global homepage. Within four days, the video received 417, 625 hits. They will soon be featured in an online article by YES Magazine and a Connecticut-based television station will broadcast their video blogs. These two CMCers have come a long way since the fateful Monday evening last spring when they stood before our Student Senate to request funding for the only expense of their trip – the camera needed to shoot the documentary.

If you have a few spare minutes, dedicate it to watching Chris and Zach’s videos. Fortunately their video blog is just a sample of their documentary, which will premier at the Athenaeum this spring in partnership with the Claremont International Relations Society.

All photo credit goes to Sean Leonard and Ryan Christoffersen.

There are 282 members of the Class of 2013–Connor has set himself a pretty hefty goal. Following through with The Meal Project will be a lot of work, so why is he doing it? After a conversation with Connor, it is apparent that his motives are unrelated to popularity. “I firmly believe that everyone has something to bring to the table – no pun intended – as no two persons’ perspectives, personalities, or life experiences are exactly the same,” says Connor. “I want to take full advantage of the opportunity to get to know each of [my peers].”

It seems that we are in certain friend groups because we ‘naturally gravitate’ towards the people we choose to hang out with. But for freshmen and sophomores, it’s important to take a step back and ask yourself whether the people that you go to every meal with are really the people you connect with the most, or if they are just the people that were on your W.O.A.! trip, or the people that you live next to. We have heard it a million times that if we just branch out a bit, we’d be surprised to find how much similarity we have with other people. The reason that we hear that so often is because it’s true, and Connor has figured it out first hand. “I love to hear peoples’ stories: who they are, why they’re here, what they want to get out of this college experience, etc. It is always interesting to me to find out what things you’ll have in common with random strangers.”

After going on the Sophomore Leadership Experience sponsored by the Kravis Leadership Insitute, Connor realized how often we as people create artificial barriers between ourselves. Once he returned to campus, he recognized how those human divisions apply to CMC’s social culture. Through the Meal Project, Connor wants to personally rid his social life of some of those distinctions, feeling that “we are such a small school already, we don’t need any more divisions.”

Not only does Connor’s Meal Project cross the barriers created by individual friend groups, but it is also enlightening to experience the difference between sober and non-sober social interactions. As Connor says, “With the exception of Wade Vaughn, pretty much everyone is quieter and more conservative at dinner than they are at TNC.” Connor is quick to say that he loves our typical weekend social life just as much as any other CMCer, but questions whether or not the “friendships” created at TNC are the kind that we would benefit from most. “It continues to surprise me how outgoing CMCers can be at TNC – never hesitating to make an introduction or dance on a table – but just can’t push themselves outside of their comfort zones in everyday life,” says Connor. As “silly and paternalistic” as it sounds, Connor just wants everyone to get out there and meet new people while sober.

Before leaving for Fall Break, Connor was five weeks into the Meal Project and a fifth of the way through all of his classmates. He has started with all of the contacts in his phone, which he notes is an interesting test to see how many of his contacts he actually would feel comfortable asking to have a meal with. When his phonebook is exhausted, he will turn to Facebook and e-mail to reach out to the remainder of his peers.

The Meal Project is Connor’s personal means of accomplishing his goal, but he hopes that others will join in this pursuit. Branching out does not have to be as extreme as starting your own Meal Project. Rather, Connor just proposes that we make a little more effort to be aware of, and challenge, our own social tendencies. If Connor can have a meal with everyone in our entire grade, then each of our own individual attempts to branch out are comparatively easy. In Connor’s words, “I challenge everyone who reads this to introduce yourself to one new person today. Use this article as an excuse to strike up a conversation with that cute guy or girl you always pass on the way to Statistics. If you need a talking point, try The Meal Project.”

Photo Credits: Connor Barclay

What do you have planned for your long weekend? While many are going home to relax for a bit, there is no doubt that the campus has also been buzzing with plans for autumn adventures of many kinds. A handful of students are roadtripping up the coast to San Francisco to start the Pirate Party a bit early at Treasure Island, a music festival featuring LCD Soundsystem, Belle & Sebastian, Deadmau5, Miike Snow, The National, Broken Social Scene, She & Him and Kruder & Dorfmeister, among other acts. Some may not make it all the way to the Golden Gate City, opting to channel their inner Kerouac on the shores of Big Sur. Other students are making their way to Vegas to play some golf and put their math majors to work at the blackjack tables, hopefully to return with stories comparable to The Hangover.

For those that are planning to stick around CMC, there are some cool things going on in the area:

• Some athletic events will be taking place on campus: Go cheer for the Stags in their water polo match vs. Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday at 7 pm in the Pendleton Pool (Pomona). Stags Soccer also goes to battle on Saturday, at 1 pm on Pritzlaff against the Occidental Tigers.
• It’s Los Angeles so you can bet there will be concerts in the area. On Saturday, The National will be playing at the Fox Theater in Pomona. Mumford & Sons will be playing at the Hollywood Palladium on Monday night. On Tuesday, Ra Ra Riot will be at the Glass House in Pomona.
• Take the opportunity on Sunday to go check out the Claremont Farmer’s Market in the Village from 8 am to 1 pm.
  

  Photo Credit: Caroline Nyce

• For those that are of age, the California Beer Festival will be making its stop in Claremont on Saturday, so buy a ticket here and head down to try out some of the “best craft beers from around the world.”
• Grab a book (that was not assigned to read? My goodness!) and a blanket and drive the 20 minutes up to Mt. Baldy to take in some fresh air and Mother Earth right in the Inland Empire’s back yard.
• Are the palm trees bringing down your autumn spirits? Five minutes away, Cal Poly Pomona’s Kellogg Ranch is having a Pumpkin Festival this weekend. You can spend forever searching through the thousands of pumpkins (all $5) for the roundest one, then relive your younger, flannel-clad days of pumpkin carving. The natural apple cider, popcorn balls and honey sticks at the Ranch’s Farm Store should also not be missed.

Some logistics for staying on campus over fall break (in case you missed Dean Castro’s e-mail):

• No school on Monday or Tuesday, so see you all in class on Wednesday (October 20th).
• RAs on duty:

• Collins will be serving dinner Friday, but the wonderful people that nourish us four times a day are taking a break too, so Collins will not be open over the long weekend. It will open back up on Tuesday night for dinner at 5pm.
• However, for those staying on campus, you have some options. Frary and Scripps will be open during the following hours:

Reading Dieterich’s daily notes provides me with instant gratitude towards the small facets of my life. That coworker that is printing 200 pages when I only need to print two? Thank you for reminding me that my time isn’t more important than everyone else’s. I’ll go work on something else in the meantime.

I’m not very original with this one, but it’s still one of my favorites. For those of you that aren’t familiar, PostSecret was started by Frank Warren in 2005 as an experiment with Blogger. Today, people from all over the world send their secrets to Warren’s home in Germantown, MD. Each Sunday a selection of the post cards are posted on his blog, while others are saved for published compilations. The secrets are a total mixed bag, ranging from criminal confessions, sexual impropriety, and embarrassing quirks to hopes and dreams.

Last, but certainly not least, I share with you This I Believe. I don’t think this can technically be considered a blog, but it falls into the “Humanity and Introspection” category, and can steal your time just as easily. This I Believe, Inc. is a non-profit organization inspired by a 1950s radio program of the same name that featured essays by people such as “Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, Helen Keller, and Harry Truman as well as corporate leaders, cab drivers, scientists, and secretaries —anyone able to distill into a few minutes the guiding principles by which they lived.” Today, tens of thousands of essays have been submitted and are all available to read online. This I Believe has also published two books of featured essays, which is how I became familiar with the series.The essays are short, so you don’t feel bogged down by lengthy text hiding the great message.
This I Believe is a challenge not only to see and respect views other than our own, but to figure out what our own beliefs are. Hands down, if you check out any of the sites that I have written about, it should be this one. A great part of the growth that I have made in the last few years of my life has been inspired by what I have read in This I Believe. When I feel like I can’t find solid ground to stand on, I return to This I Believe every time. These are some of my favorites:

• Always Go to the Funeral, by Deirdre Sullivan
• Creating Our Own Happiness, by Wayne Coyne (lead singer of The Flaming Lips)
• The Connection Between Strangers, by Miles Goodwin
• We Are Each Other’s Business, by Eboo Patel
• There Is No God, by Penn Jillette

A new issue of the Courier comes out every Wednesday and Saturday. Each issue is regularly filled with photo contributions from readers, updates about local school board meetings and protests of matters such as the possible addition of a 7-Eleven to Claremont. The Courier is everything one would expect from a small-town paper. The paper is excellent but one column stands out above the others: ”Police Blotter“ reports on crime in the area, revealing that some unexpected things are going down in the areas surrounding our campus. While many of the police reports are serious matters, over the course of the year I have found some to be very entertaining. I would like to share some of the gems with all of you. It’s a big bad world out there, so watch out.

I saved the best for last because this one really takes the cake:

Everyday we make choices. 

As I have argued, choices are not conducive to happiness. But it is ridiculous to say that we shouldn’t make them, because, well, we have to. Each day we make many choices, but seldom realize how much our personal choices shape the world around us.

With so many options in media, interaction and venues, you now get to choose what you expose yourself to.

Expose yourself to art, and you’ll come to appreciate it and aspire to make it.

Expose yourself to anonymous scathing critics and you will begin to believe them (or flinch in anticipation of their next appearance.)

Expose yourself to get-rich-quick stories and you’ll want to become one.

Expose yourself to fast food ads and you’ll crave french fries.

Expose yourself to angry mobs of uninformed, easily manipulated protesters and you’ll want to join a mob.

Expose yourself to metrics about your brand or business or performance and you’ll work to improve them.

Expose yourself to anger and you might get angry too.

Expose yourself to people making smart decisions and you’ll probably learn how to do it as well.

Expose yourself to eager long-term investors (of every kind) and you’ll likely to start making what they want to support.

It’s a choice if you want it to be.

Is it really that simple? We become the people that we choose to be. A Mitch’s recent article called for us to re-evaluate the positive in our lives. I know I am not alone when I say that his article left me wondering how I can become a more gracious person. Many commented that his article inspired them to more actively express their gratitude– one reader posted that they had sent a letter home that very day. A Mitch’s article prompts us to embrace the choices that life offers us every day. Drawing from Godin, I realized that the way for me to become a more gracious person is simple: I should do more gracious acts and to surround  myself with more gracious people.

Philosophers have been conflicted about man’s powers over self-determination since ancient times. I have considered the determinist point of view, that we have absolutely no control over the choices we make. I have also considered the tabula rasa point of view, that we are born as clean slates and are free to decide where to go from there. This is the classic nature vs. nurture debate. That we have not come up with a solution to this age-old issue points us to believe that a combination of both influences that determines human cognition.

I believe that at our birth, we are given an ambiguous life path determined by our genetics and our circumstances. From this point forward, our lives are up to us. When we are young, we have little control over our characters because most of our life decisions are made by others.

Now, at this point in our lives, we have a great freedom (not complete freedom) to decide who we are. There are certain factors that prevent us from doing certain things (a paraplegic can’t go ride a bike), but much of the world is ours to explore. This is why our choices are so crucial. You may not yearn to go see an optional lecture at Pomona; if you choose to go, however, you’re becoming that person who is open to learning new things. You may completely disagree with an opposing argument, but if you choose to acknowledge their point of view, then you’re becoming a person who is tolerant. You may be exhausted and too lazy to brush your teeth before bed, but if you choose to brush, then you’re becoming a person who is disciplined. A single decision may not fundamentally change who you are, but  the accumulation of many positive choices can incite this change.