This is the text of the personal story Nick told at the closing ceremony for the "Speak & Tell!" Camp on July 8, 2016.
By Nick Ungarino
I ate the hottest pepper in the world…
So it was a normal day at my house. Just me and my brother.
Eventually, he told me about a pepper garden that his friend was growing and
asked, “do you want to eat the carolina reaper pepper?” Making a not so great
decision I accepted his challenge. We soon moved out to prepare. We went to the
local grocery store and stocked up on ice cream and milk. After returning home,
his friend finally arrived. He was wearing thick gloves holding the pepper,
which looked like it was something created by the devil. The pepper was red,
shriveled, and had a tail coming off the bottom of it. None the less, I ate the
pepper.
Five seconds went by and I felt nothing. The only thing I
notice was how gross it tasted. But a few seconds passed and it immediately
became the most painful thing I have ever experienced. Everything was burning:
my nose, my mouth, and especially my throat. I immediately went for the milk.
Half a gallon in I could drink no more. I tried the ice cream but that just
made it worse. There was no escaping it now, I just had to sit through it. My
face became cherry red, my eyes were watering, and my whole head was beading
with sweat, not to mention that every breath of air was like taking a dagger to
the throat. I honestly thought I would need to go to the hospital. After fifty
minutes of this terror it was finally over, or so I thought…
Soon enough the stomach cramps began. The first one had me
laying over a chair to relieve the pain as much as possible. After about ten
minutes this one was over. The second one woke me up at two in the morning.
This time, I was very close to throwing up. I'm not exactly sure how long this
one lasted, but I do remember that I woke up that morning on the bathroom
floor. But as you probably know, all things good and bad must come to an end.
Just as the pepper had entered it had to make an exit at some point. Now I'm
going to keep this part short and simple; it felt like sitting on a burning hot
frying pan. Now though I can say that I ate the hottest pepper in the world.
***
Nick Ungarino, 17, will be a senior at Northgate High School this upcoming school year. Nick was also a participant in Luminari's 2016 I Want to be an Ambassador! camp.
When I reflect back on the three days
Luminari’s “I Want to be an Ambassador” camp spent in Washington, D.C. , I see
colors—the bright colors of culture and diplomacy and learning and fun.
It was a busy three days in June for our 14 young ambassadors. While in the nation’s capital, we enjoyed a whirlwind of
activities designed to broaden our minds, encourage innovation and understand
how the world of diplomacy works.
The colors were vibrant in the lobby of the
State Department that first day. Dozens of flags hung above our heads,
announcing the many nations of the world and reflecting their bright hues on
the polished marble floor. Our young ambassadors played an impressive game of
“Guess the Country.” Peru, anyone? And is that the Cuban flag?
In a conference room down the hall, we met
with Peter Selfridge, the Ambassador for Protocol for President Obama. His is a
job of details—of paving the way for productive, respectful meetings between
the President, the Secretary of State and other U.S. diplomats, and
representatives from other countries.
“I never thought I would be in charge of so
many details,” Selfridge said. Those details include understanding the customs
of other cultures, knowing what gifts the President should bring on his visits—and
what gifts not to bring. He explained that his staff is in charge of rolling
out the red carpet, literally, for President Obama when he visits a foreign
country, and of rolling it out when foreign dignitaries visit here.
The small details can mean the difference
between a productive diplomatic meeting and one that is less so, he said.
The trip brought other bursts of color,
from the ornate décor at the Royal Thai Embassy, to the plates of chicken
tagine, hummus and paella we shared at our Moroccan dinner.
We had lunch at Martin’s Tavern in
Georgetown, a favorite haunt of presidents, senators, congressmen and Supreme
Court justices. Four of our ambassadors ate hamburgers in the exact booth where
then-Senator John F. Kennedy proposed marriage to Jacqueline Bouvier.
At the German Embassy, a military diplomat
talked about how much he and his young family love living in the United States.
The meeting was just days before voters in Great Britain voted to leave the
European Union, a development the diplomat was hoping would not happen. He shared
little bags of authentic German gummi bear candies, which we gobbled happily,
feeling we deserved them. The meeting was on the 7th floor, and we
did not take an elevator to get there.
As we said goodbye, we paused to look at
the piece of the Berlin Wall on display. The bit of stone was covered in a riot
of colorful graffiti, a reminder of a historically remarkable victory of diplomacy.
And yes, that was the blue, white and red flag of Cuba hanging at the State Department. It was another
reminder of the importance of diplomacy, both on the large scale and for the
rest of us in our everyday lives.
***
Luminari Coordinator, Beth Dolinar brings her talents and experience as a writer, Emmy-award producer, public speaker and deadline driven multi-tasker to our team. She writes a popular column for the Washington "Observer-Reporter." She is a contributing producer of documentary length programming for WQED-TV on a wide range of topics and currently teaches as an adjunct faculty member at Robert Morris University. Beth has a son and a daughter. She is an avid yoga devotee, cyclist and reader. Beth says she types like lightning but reads slowly -- because she likes a really good sentence.
This is the text of the speech Max presented at the closing ceremony for the "Speak & Tell!" Camp on July 8, 2016.
By Max Rosen
I think boredom is pretty cool.
When you are bored your brain tries to find things to fill that mental gap. It boosts your creativity and causes you to think outside the box.
I get bored very easily, and this actually led to me discovering many of my hobbies and interests. One of these is poetry, which has become very important in my life, especially this past year as I made it the focus of my long-term project. I discovered poetry during an English class where we had to write a structured essay, and I wasn't finding it very interesting. I grew bored and my mind wandered to how I would write about the topic if it wasn’t structured. So I began writing poems and it has become a big form of expression for me since then.
Everybody gets bored at some point in the day, whether it's at school, or a meeting or even during this speech.
And these moments are very important.
What do you think about when you’re bored?
Generally, you think about what could happen or what or what could be accomplished. You don’t usually think about what has happened in the past or how you could have done it differently. I find this very interesting and think it’s just another reason why boredom is so great. It makes you think about the future and problems you can solve. It raises questions that may not be answered yet and makes you wonder what those answers might be. Boredom causes a creative impulse that drives us forward as people. This creativity allows for humanity to continue to break down its barriers.
So I ask you, what are those questions? And can you answer them?
Thank you
***
Max Rosen, 15, is a rising sophomore at Taylor Allderdice High School.
We at Luminari love music of all
kinds: folk, symphony, hip hop, jazz, blues, country, marches, gospel, rock and
roll—we enjoy all of it.
Because our mission is to broaden
minds and promote innovation, we think it’s important—and fun—to open our minds
to the possibilities of the world beyond our own doorstep. And what better way
to do that than to learn about the music of other lands.
In each issue of LUMOS!, we offer a
regular series about the unique and unusual (and sometimes downright strange)
instruments we’ve never heard. And since we can’t really understand an
instrument until we’ve heard it being played, we’ll offer links to sites where
you can hear and see a performance.
And so we offer our fourth in a
series of unusual instruments: the Octobass
***
If the tallest football player you
know were also a musical instrument, he would be an octobass.
The instrument, an extreme version
of the double bass, was invented around 1850 in Paris. Like a double bass, it
has three strings. But unlike the more conventional versions of the bass, the
octobass also has a set of levers and foot pedals.
The instrument is too large for just
one player; most performances require two musicians: one to bow or pluck the
strings and the other to work the levers and pedals. This makes the octobass
unwieldy for most performances. That, along with its size, has limited the
number of octobasses in use. There are only a handful of them in existence.
Still, the octobass has had its
fans, including composer Hector Berlioz, who suggested the mighty stringed
behemoth should become more mainstream. Berlioz also loved the sound of tubas,
so it makes sense that he championed the octobass.
The instrument stands six and a half
feet tall, and its sound reaches the lowest vibrational frequencies detectable
by the human ear. Think very large, croaking frog. Or maybe that string riff in
the theme from “Jaws.”
***
Luminari Coordinator, Beth Dolinar brings her talents and experience as a writer, Emmy-award producer, public speaker and deadline driven multi-tasker to our team. She writes a popular column for the Washington "Observer-Reporter." She is a contributing producer of documentary length programming for WQED-TV on a wide range of topics and currently teaches as an adjunct faculty member at Robert Morris University. Beth has a son and a daughter. She is an avid yoga devotee, cyclist and reader. Beth says she types like lightning but reads slowly -- because she likes a really good sentence.
On the first day of camp, when I walked into the Heinz History Center, I was nervous, and I did not know what to expect. Coming out of camp now, I do not feel like I have been totally changed. What I think happened was my brain got a little fuller, and I learned a really important value. That value is fearlessness. Do not be afraid to ask questions and interact because that is the way you will truly learn by questioning, discussing, and seeing different points of view.
The ‘I want to be an Ambassador’ Camp is definitely a camp full of experiences and interesting people. From getting an understanding of the refugee crisis, to learning about cultural traditions and food, to our Cold War Cuban Missile Crisis negotiation simulation, there is so much I have learned. The simple skills we were taught can end up being major. Even from meeting the wise man in the Moroccan restaurant to learning about the positions of diplomats and ambassadors I have gotten a better understanding of what these people are actually doing and the impact their actions have on us. I have also learned from my fellow campers who showed helpfulness and leadership throughout the last week.
I do not know what my future is going to be yet but that's okay. I just want to continue questioning, discussing, experiencing, and expanding upon what I learned right here. And maybe one day, I can have a positive impact on the world in whatever career I choose too. So thank you to everyone who made this camp all that it was.
***
Molly Potts, 13, is a rising Eighth grader at the Campus School of Carlow University.
I would like to thank all the speakers and chaperones who have organized, advised and prepared us throughout the week.
My time here at the 'I Want To Be An Ambassador' Camp was very memorable. I learned a lot more about what it really means to be an ambassador, and how to communicate with other people more effectively. I also made new friends, learned about different cultures, and was influenced by a multitude of people. I learned and realized that diplomacy doesn't just mean communication between diplomats, but also negotiation between average people.
One of my favorite experiences was being part of the Cuban Missile Crisis Simulation. This helped me refine my diplomatic skills as we had to help 'President Kennedy' decide how to move forward with the ever-pressing Soviets and Cubans. We were divided into different approaches and had to present them each in a persuasive manor, which proved a challenge.
This camp has opened many doors and opportunities to foreign service and being an ambassador. I learned what these roles mean and how they affect others.
Additionally, I made new friends who were interested in the same topics as I was. Overall, I hope to explore being an ambassador more and this camp has proved to be the perfect opportunity for just that! Thank you!
***
Annika Ramani, 12, is a rising Eighth-grader at the Carlow Campus School. Annika participated in the Camp Delicious! program sponsored by Luminari in 2015 and has returned this summer for the I Want to be an Ambassador! camp.
Teen Writers in Oakland. Photo credit Cooper Kusbit
I suppose kids who go to summer sleep-away camp – the kind
with tents and hikes and campfires and cabin mates – come home exhausted, but
in a good way. Fresh air, lively activity, a few new skills, a lot of new
friends.
I like to think the kids who participate in Luminari’s Teen
Writer! camp come home the same way. True, we don’t have the tents or the
campfires but don’t think “writing camp” means kids spent days on end hunched
over a desk in a dimly lit room, laboriously cranking out sentence after
sentence.
Teen Writers in Oakland. Photo credit Cooper Kusbit
Enthralling fiction requires enthralling details and the
only way to do that is to get away from that desk!
For writers, the world is our research lab.
Career counselor and author Barbara Sher said,“When you start
using senses you've neglected, your reward is to see the world with completely
fresh eyes.”
Teen Writers in Oakland. Photo credit Cooper Kusbit
That is the kind of camp our Teen Writers
attended during the last week of June, traipsing around Oakland with tablets in
hand, literally stopping to smell the flowers. . . and study the sculptures,
and eavesdrop on the conversations, and observe the surroundings, and examine
the exquisite little features and facets of the people and places around them.
With a few tweaks, those details can artfully find their way into a piece of
fiction and infuse it with authenticity.
Teen Writers in Oakland. Photo credit Cooper Kusbit
Don’t believe it?
We passed a preschool girl in a princess costume walking
past the Carnegie Library with her mom. She was licking a lollipop and when she
noticed us looking at her she beamed back, waved the lollipop in the air, and
cried out, “It tastes blue!”
Teen Writers in Oakland. Photo credit Cooper Kusbit
I assure you, even the best writer in the world could not
dream up such an exquisite line of dialogue.
We searched for inspiration for story ideas, too, on our
daily walking tours of the city, asking the most useful question in a writer’s
toolkit:What if. . .?
Teen Writers in Oakland. Photo credit Cooper Kusbit
What if. . . that elderly man doing Tai Chi in Schenley
Park was really a spy?
What if. . . that sculpture on the lawn of Carnegie Mellon
University was really a portal to another dimension?
What if. . . the woman in that 18thcentury painting came to life and
joined us for the day?
Teen Writers in Oakland. Photo credit Cooper Kusbit
And here’s another one: What if . . . we all lived our
lives this wayevery day?
Maybe you aren’t a teen writer but youarea person with an imagination and
you, like we did, would probably smile for an hour after a little girl dressed
like a princess told you her lollipop tasted blue.
Teen Writers in Oakland.
You owe it to yourself to get away from your desk andsee the world through completely
fresh eyes.
Fresh air, lively activity, a few new skills, a lot of new
friends.
For a writer—foranyone
–that’s a pretty good way to
spend a summer day.
***
Gina Catanzarite, owner/operator of Arania Productions, and an award-winning television producer, author, media consultant and teacher who has worked both nationally and locally in her fields since 1987.
