I come from a traditional middle class family, living on the east coast with parents from the midwest. While growing up, both my dad and my grandpa always stressed how important it is to have a good handshake. “Give a firm, strong handshake and make eye contact,” they would always say.  Then we would practice shaking hands to find the good intermediate between floppy and vice like grip. Every time i visited my grandpa,  the three of us would greet with a handshake and my grandpa and dad would expel their philosophy that a handshake reveals  a person’s character and views. This idea and the continual practice of the art of handshaking  prepared me for when I would be old enough to meet people and greet as an adult and as an equal. However, when I did reach this age I was left utterly disappointed. While introducing myself to men, I would extend my hand ready to give an assertive handshake, only to be met with a flimsy, relaxed grasp that barely passed as a handshake. At first I thought that maybe I was still perceived as a child and thus not treated as an equal during the handshake. Or I thought that maybe the standards for a handshake have changed from the good-ol-days that my grandpa and dad were raised in. But then soon I began to realize that this pathetic handshake was only reserved for men greeting women. This revelation left me observing all handshake interactions and I discovered a trend. When men greeted other men, my grandpa’s and my dad’s advice would manifest into a proper handshake. This made me feel that even though I was receiving the same treatment, a handshake, that I wasn’t truly seen as an equal. Inequality between handshakes is in everyday manifestation of the inequality between genders that persists in our society today. It only seems natural that all genders should see and treat all other genders as equals. The difference in handshakes, that I and most women have encountered, represent elements of our society where women don’t command the same respect and equality as men. The handshake is more than a social etiquette, it is a symbol of the respect and equity between people. I believe in the equality of handshakes.

My passion blog will be a continuance of my previous blog, traveling to various countries. I really love visiting new places and have an innate curiosity and desire to experience different countries and cultures. In each blog, I will talk about different attractions and things to do in that country while trying in significant cultural and historical elements to enrich each trip. There will be  a mix of blogs; some blogs will be documenting trips I have gone on and what made them fun and unique while the rest will explore future destinations for my travels.

For the civic issues blog, I really like the general topic of identities and rights. I want to explore this topic on a global scale to almost relate it to my passion blog. As for specific issues to examine, I am thinking of doing gender and human rights in different countries. I might tailor this more towards women’s rights in different countries or regions and how culture and religion can play a role. Anther idea would be to examine and compare women’s rights on specific topics, such as pay equality and access to birth control, between the U.S. and a foreign country.

This I Believe has been a bit more challenging in regards of choosing a story and belief. These are still fledgling ideas and need to be worked on. One idea is I believe in walking. This will not only relate to the fact that walking to places is better for the environment but is also better for the soul. I use walks to clear my head and think about things, in a way it is time taken to reflect each day. To me walking is time taken to meditate and stay healthy both mentally and physically. The other idea is that I believe in good handshakes. Growing up my grandpa and my dad always told me that a good hand shake was a firm one. It represents much of a persons character, yet when I grew old enough to greet people and shake their hands more often than not I got flimsy handshakes while my male companions received firm handshakes. I think I want to tie in feminism to handshakes and that overall I believe in equality.