GIRLS IN THE HALL GOES INTERNATIONAL

mapped, originally uploaded by scoremat.

Have you ever taken a leap and done something completely out of your comfort zone? Tried out for a sport you have never told anyone you were interested in doing? Auditioned for the school play even though you have stage fright akin to a deer caught in headlights? Submitted a letter to the editor of your school paper about a hot topic at school, worried what people would think about you? If you haven't, I am sure you have thought or even dreamed of conquering a fear and going for "it"--what "it" may mean for you.

In a few weeks, I will be conquering a major "it" on my list. With the Girls in the Hall mantra of every girl being themselves while surviving the hard times of teen years, I will be flying to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, and volunteering in an orphanage with at risk teen girls. What does that mean? There will be 30 girls, ages 13-22, who want to learn about the arts and, in turn, about themselves. Some of these girls were left at the orphanage as babies and don't know any other sort of life. Others were left by their parents later on in childhood, and remember their families. The older girls in the group are moms themselves, and their babies live at the orphanage too.

The plan: to get together every day for nearly two weeks and learn about ourselves and each other through writing, expressing emotions and sharing. Then, I will blog about it for all of the English speaking Girls in the Hall to hear about what life as a teen in Ecuador really is about--the real scoop.

The catch?

My Spanish is bad. I mean, really really bad. MUY MALO! So, this is probably the biggest experiment of my life. Will I be able to share the Girls in the Hall spirit with these girls without knowing all of the words and communicating through emotion and understanding, and then accurately relay the journey to all of you? Time will indeed tell.

Here's where you come in! Have you wondered what it is like to grow up in a country so different from your own? We are collecting questions from teens here to ask the girls over there. Then, we will blog the answers to your question directly from the girls in Ecuador. Leave a comment on this post with your questions or drop us an email at girlsinthehallblog@gmail.com. We want to hear from you to ask real questions, from teen to teen.

OUR FIRST TEEN CONTRIBUTOR

Here is our first Teen Contributor entry! Have something to say? Look at the bottom of this post for details on how you can be featured on Girls in the Hall and win a Barnes and Noble E-Gift Card.

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MIRROR, WHO ARE YOU?
A poem and photo by Lee, 18, Florida  

I look in the shining glass with white covering these empty walls.
All I want is to be loved by myself and the ones around me
Like these walls I have scars and bruises I can never get rid of:

Love can be a very good thing
sometimes walls cover candy pink and apple red
Then again Love can be a damp thing
covering the walls of gloomy blue and coal black
At times I feel like re-painting these walls
to make them what I feel is happening 

Then the tears start running down my face
and the sunshine fades to a thunder storm
It’s hard to pick the pieces up after a long day of crying

As I talk to my friends and family
the storm suddenly ends and possibilities come my way

So mirror on the wall I look at you in awe wondering 

where you are taking my life when will you finally show!

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Do you have an original...

Short story? 

Poem?

Essay?

Photograph?

Book/Film/TV review?

Recipe?

Editorial?

Send it to us at girlsinthehallblog@gmail.com for a chance to be published on Girls in the Hall and win a Barnes and Noble E-Gift Card. You could be next!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Failure, originally uploaded by Diana Pinto.

"Don't forget to win first place 

Don't forget to keep that smile on your face." 

-Alanis Morissette, PERFECT

Pressure, pressure, pressure. How many of you feel it? I do. Sometimes it sufficates me from all around. In high school, I went through a (very long) phase where I listened to this song on repeat--when I woke up in the morning and brushed my teeth while reviewing flash cards for Spanish or in my headphones as I ran from drama-to-cheerleading-to-study hall-to-babysitting. It was the perfect soundtrack to the loop of worry "what if's" in my head.... What if I didn't make the grade and didn't get into just the right college? What if dad won't be proud of me anymore if a fail? What if I let my team down? What if my teachers think I am stupid? What if my sister thinks I suck? What if my boyfriend won't like me for not wanting to go beyond kissing? What if people don't like me?

We are taught to go through life with these thoughts of potential failure as the end all, be all of how to measure life's success. Don't get me wrong, some pressure is good, like the adrenal you get right before running at a track meet or going up in front of a crowd to give a speech. I am finally learning how to separate the good from the bad.

While most of us are taught to be incredibly afraid of failure, society tells us we need to grin through it. Some think that expressing fear is weakness. We at Girls in the Hall know that it is the exact opposite--a girl who is able to voice her fears is not only being honest with the world, but counts as one of the bravest. Just think, these fears are shared by many.

This photo was taken by a great teen photographer, who we found on flickr.com. Her caption is, " This is pretty much how I feel all the time. Wrote that on my hand yesterday in Latin class to remind myself of what I am. This isn't for attention, it's to express myself." When stumbling upon this while looking for Girls in the Hall photos, it reminded us that we are not alone and sparked this blog. Imagine if we could all talk about when we feel like this without society telling us to keep it bottled inside.


I love giving everything I start my best effort and I have now learned that it's ok to make some mistakes along the way. After all, mistakes are the pieces of a patchwork quilt that warm fear of failure away.

CALLING ALL TEEN WRITERS

Writing the Story of Her Life, originally uploaded by Inside Every Heartbeat.

It's official! Girls in the Hall has hit 100 posts coming into 2011.

With our 100th, we are putting the word out. Do you enjoy writing? Whether you have ever thought about becoming a writer, love journaling or have pondered what it would be like to type out some thoughts on the computer, Girls in the Hall is looking for you!

We are in search of teen contributors.

What do you want to share with the world? Whether it is a book/music/movie review, advice you have to give, fiction you have written, or you just have something to say, we want to know. Any original blog you have written for real girls living real high school lives is fair game.

Plus, if your entry is chosen to be published on Girls in the Hall, you will win a Barnes and Noble Gift Card!

Submit your blogs to us at girlsinthehallblog@gmail.com along with your first name, state/country and age. Will notify winners within two weeks of submission.

So, what are ya waiting for? We look forward to reading what you have to share.

FIRST 2011 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Happy New Year, originally uploaded by Calsidyrose.

Peppermint Patty: It's been a great year, Chuck. You'll have to admit that. What you do think, Chuck, would be good rules for living in the New Year?

Charlie Brown: Keep the ball low, don’t leave your crayons in the sun, use dental floss every day, don’t spill the shoe polish, always knock before entering, don’t let the ants get in the sugar, never volunteer to be a program chairman, always get your first serve in, and feed your dog whenever he’s hungry.

Peppermint Patty: Will those rules give me a better life, Chuck?

Charlie Brown: The better life and a fat dog.

-CHARLIE BROWN

How did you ring in the New Year? At a party? At home watching the Jersey Shore cast on MTV or Dick Clark do the Times Square countdown? Regardless of where you were, I am sure that you were wondering about the possibilities of 2011. I know I was--and still am.

The opportunities to start something new for the future with the foundations of the past are both thrilling and daunting. One thing I definitely know is that the second year of Girls in the Hall will be a great new chapter where we will continue to bring you our thoughts--and yours--on being a teen, being yourself, and making it through high school. Oh, and we will be sure to not leave our crayons in the sun along the way.