Mariah Najmuddin's Page

First, I apologize for leaving my blog stagnant for so long. I've really enjoyed the summer and pretty much thrown all of my cares to the wind, which is kind of a problem.

I guess I will fill y'all in with my camp (mis)adventures. 

Have you ever felt super unfit in a social setting? I usually mesh well with new people, but while I was at camp it was painfully obvious that I was the only Latina and that I came from a completely different economic bracket than those around me. I…

Besides church camp, I've never gone to an actual camp. 

Starting Sunday, however, I will be in charge of my own crew of campers for the next three weeks. I'm nervous to say the least.

In an age of iPads, smart phones and wireless internet, I'm not sure I'll be able to tear myself away from life as I know it and succumb to life in the outdoors.

If being completely disconnected from the real world wasn't enough, I will know one other person there. ONE.

I'd likely…

Growing up, I was never aware of my family's financial struggles. I can honestly say I was never in want, but then again my parent's never allowed us to be dissatisfied. We weren't allowed to complain about eating leftovers, hand-me-down clothes or opting for the generic brand over our "pricey" favorites. For me, every American family lived this way. This was normal.

Looking back, I don't think I grew up disadvantaged or poor, but rather blessed. I don't remember times being hard.…

As a Texas girl, I grew up engulfed in the TexMex culture. Good Mexican food was always easy to find, there were at least 20 different Spanish stations on the local radio and my perception of Mexico was just slightly skewed. It wasn’t until I was much older when I realized Cinco de Mayo wasn’t a giant fiesta in Mexico and contrary to popular belief it wasn’t Mexican Independence day (Sept. 16, 1821)

For those of you who don’t speak Spanish, Cinco de Mayo means the 5^th of…