About Me

I feel like it is necessary to have this first introduction post for people to get to know me while they are reading my blog. And also some kind of marker of where I am when I began.

Currently, Ill just introduce myself and my reasons for turning vegetarian, turning vegan, and what I plan to do with the blog.

Sarah
-19, two months to 20
-I am a student at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. Marquette is a smaller, Jesuit Catholic university. I am not religious, so I am often butting heads with professors and other students. I am a director of a mentoring program for Women and Youth (WYSE) and it is a large aspect of my school life. I work retail while I am at home.
-I love music, music truly is my life. I do not actively make my own music (though I used to play the piano, clarinet, and violin) but I always must have music playing and I find power in words, movements, and layers of pieces. I love many genres of music, though my favorite artists are Sia, Damien Rice, old Nelly Furtado, CocoRosie, M83, Broken Social Scene, Ben Harper, Fiona Apple, Wallis Bird, City and Colour, and M.I.A. I have a last.fm that I am obsessed with, because it organizes all of my music so well.
I am a bit obsessive with organization, I keep everything in tabs, folders, binders. Yet, I am not very clean.
-I love fashion, I read about it, I obsess about it, and I love creating. I would love to work in the industry, but for many ethical/moral reasons I've decided to keep it a hobby. I will have my own sewing area in my apartment Im moving to this summer. So hopefully I get more actively involved.
-I love running and dancing. I ran cross country in high school, I wasnt the best later on and got acute inner and exterior shin splints (worst pain ever) which I am still paying for. I try and run as much as I can, but normally during the school year never get a chance to do so. Summer is here, so I will be running a ton in the woods. Dancing has been something that I've loved all my life. I was trained in ballet, tap, hip hop, and a bit of jazz. Though you will always finding me dancing randomly wherever I am. I love to tap when I am impatient and while I listen to music I normally am choreographing a dance in my head if I am not imaging a scene.
-I love photography. I started to take photos 'seriously' when I was 10-11. My friend and I would go to the lake everyday to play with our 35mm cameras. We would take the same shots on 1-2 rolls every time we went. I still have every photo. I always see scenes in my mind, still or moving, when I am moved deeply by something.
I love learning, but I despise examinations. I never have a moment in university to enjoy my education or to inquire farther.
-I love food. Well I dont love most foods, but the foods I love, I love. I am extremely picky. Which will be shown through my choices in vegan food. But there is only one food I cannot tolerate in any amount...mustard. Foods Im not fond and will pick out if I have the chance: banana, raw tomatoes, mushrooms, olives.
-One of my biggest passion is animals. This has evolved much during the years of vegetarianism. But I have always felt very connected with animals. I have had 4 dogs in my life. Maxine (Boxer, died in 98 to cancer), Maggie (Boxer, died 08 to degenerative mylapathy), Mack (Boxer, deaf 13yr old), Ella (Mutt Mutt Mutt, 2yr old puppy). These are names I will probably reference to somewhat often. Or maybe some pictures of Mack and Ella drooling over the cooking. Maggie's death this year has effected me profoundly. She was my best friend, no doubt. I loved to the point most don't understand. But she was the most profound creature I have ever been around. Everyone feels her death and Im not sure how much longer Mack will live without her. Other than my dogs, I love all animals. Most of my response for animals will be mixed with my experiences with vegetarianism.
Currently my goals in life are to graduate from college with good grades, have had studied abroad in London (King's College or University College of London) and hopefully have had an internship with the FBI Forensics Laboratory. I am so busy with school I dont think of much aside from it, but I hope to find some lucky boy to share my life with. I also hope to teach the vegan/vegetarian message to as many people and continue to be a voice for animals.

I became vegetarian for a mix of reasons. My best friend's sister who I idolized as a kid was the one that introduced me to the idea of even cutting meat out of my diet. She talked a bit about animal rights, but I wasnt really thinking about it. A few months after I spent a week with her eating vegetarian food, I decided to go vegetarian for health reasons. I was 12 when I became vegetarian. I began to research the lifestyle and was able to tell everybody the health benefits, yet I was learning more and more about the treatment of animals or lack of...every year I became a bigger voice and had more knowledge. People would continuously belittle my decisions and try and throw off my philosophy. 'PLANTS FEEL!!!' was a big one I got. So they just encouraged me to study harder in science and know the differences between all the sensory systems. Most people respected my decisions and while studying abroad in Brasil, where I lived in the country, I was able to get most people to help me out. My mother was very supportive as well, she would make me a vegetarianized dinner of whatever we were having. I ate well, sometimes too well. I had always thought of going vegan, but it wasnt really on my mind.
While in my first two years of university. I was eating very unhealthy. The dorms are not good places to eat well as a vegetarian. I was extremely sick gastroenterologically speaking...if that is a word. I had to have a colonscopy this year to make sure I hadnt developed Krohns disease. I started eating a high fiber diet, but my stomach was always upset. I couldnt go to the library without my stomach making noises. I would want to just curl up due to the pain of the cramps. My roommate was lactose intolerant, and my symptoms were very similar to hers. I finally decided to cross over a week and half before school was over this year.

So far I have felt better physically and also emotionally. I feel like it was necessary for myself to make the move to feel more valid with my views and animal compassion. I am doing this now purely for animal rights and voice. I dont think I will ever eat meat and probably never dairy or eggs again. I will be raising my future family vegan and hope that my future husband and kids are as passionate as I am. I try hard to be politically forward and pass the message on to people I meet. I am not very forward in a way to turn-off others, but to help them see what the benefits are and how it will effect them personally. After they see what it will do for them and other humans, most open up to animals. In the past year I have helped influence 4-5 people become vegetarians, and it is a great feeling.

I want to use this blog to talk about my transfer over to full veganism. Struggles, troubles, inquiries, new knowledge, cooking, and other bits. Animal rights is my highest passion in life.

whew. now that the base is formed...