Fear.

My country leader said something that stuck with me. She said that the stories that we tell the most, are the stories we will remember best. Something that myself and my counterparts worry about that people back home just do not seem to understand, is the great responsibility we all feel to be honest when telling our stories.

What I have found when trying to explain this frustration of not wanting to sum down your life here to a sentence to people back home, they do not understand. It would feel like a great disservice not only to the loved ones that I have here, but also to my experiences. There are so many layers, there are people who ask superficially How was your trip?” They feel obligated to ask

Cierra Bland

About Cierra Bland

Cierra is passionate about the arts and social issues within the African-American community. Cierra helped initiate a project in her former inner-city neighborhood to observe if a change in physical environment can provoke positive social change. She also volunteers as a tutor at her former elementary school. Cierra volunteers at the Library of Virginia in the early childhood literacy department where she operates under the alias "Rocket", the mascot for childhood literacy in the state of Virginia . She has also worked as a VCUArts Camp counselor and has had artwork chosen to be in area literary journals and well as local art shows. Her goals for the year are to develop fluency in Spanish, to learn how to tell a good story, and to learn how to explore.