International Relations & Spanish
Blog
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I am in strong hopes to acquire a Bachelors of Arts in International Relations and a Bachelor of Arts of Spanish with a Certificate in Spirituality in Spring 2019.
My time at Florida International University was the most challenging and heartwarming experience I am grateful to have experienced. I had been involved with multiple groups and clubs including: Global Indigenous Group (GIG), the Radio Club, Student Government Association (SGA), Alpha Xi Delta Fraternity, and (my most favorite) the FIU Farmer's Market.
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Throughout each, I discovered a certain level of yearning I had in wanting to help and learn more about the world, how much I cared for the environment and sustainability efforts, but also how to bring people together. I was the Sustainability Chair for SGA and helped my friend Roly with his projects he was doing for the school. I then was apart of AXiD and did fundraising events for Autism Speaks and was able to meet incredible people. Progressively, I came to realize I wanted to spend more time with what I was passionate about: dance, and signing. Although I disaffiliated because I wanted to spend time with dance and singing, I do not regret this life-changing experience, Alpha Xi Delta showed me incredible women upholding their collective moral foundation of humility and ambition: "With humility, meet success" was apart of the mantra. From there, I joined Gospel Choir and University Chorale at FIU, and did extra curricular intramural sports with complete strangers. I had never done flag football and our team went to Semi-Finals! I sprained my ankle pretty bad and was not able to play the final game, but we placed second in our league! The team really bonded, too. We still wish each other happy birthday and hang out.
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My most memorable experience was being elected as President of the Farmer's Market at FIU. It was the most exhausting but worthwhile experience at FIU. I had worked with the Farmer's Market before, but becoming on the executive board was a completely different perspective. We had external vendors that we were in contact with in which we had to do a pre-evaluation to ensure they had liability insurance and check how raw and organic their products were, as the Farmer's Market aimed to be fresh. We had coordinate a date with the Events Planning Department at FIU and ensure that we had tables available every Wednesday. We worked together with a multiple of start up groups and growing vendors just starting their businesses including FIU Alumni. It was hard work, but something that we looked forward to every Wednesday. We would play music and have our musical friends come and drum. We had dance session.
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Following graduation, I do want to make the FIU Farmer's Market official. We had run into discrepancies with CSO and how they wished to sponsor solely student-run groups but our problem was our Farmer's Market was predominately external vendors. So, we had to cease the Farmer's Market and terminate our club until further notice. It was devastating. I really hope to be able to make an LLC and rent the space from FIU to make the Farmer's Market a reality in the upcoming few years. It will not be easy, but I want to make it a global experience that incorporates mutiple dance forms and international musical styles.
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Later in my undergraduate experience, as I mentioned, I joined the Gospel Choir and University Chorale. It has been a profound experience. Vocal chorale music is empowering and impactful. We have sung songs in Spanish, Latin, and even African American spiritual.
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Global Learning Courses
“He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.”
– Confucius
INR3081: Contem Intl Probs
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REL2011: Intro to Religion
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REL3398: Rhythms of the SAcred
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REL3308: Studies in World Religions
My time spent in classrooms has been a colorful fulfillment of spirituality. I have taken a multitude of classes in religion and spiritual practices. Interpretations of how to try and grasp the Divine is infinitely intriguing and inspiring to me.
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Growing up Catholic, I came into college with many internal struggles with my moral beliefs and the restrictive ideologies (and to me slightly archaic) foundation. Throughout my time devling into multiple religions, I have no only grown an appreciation for my spiritual foundation but also have seen the colorful understanding I have grown of the Creator. With every spiritual practice and religious organization, there is a puzzle piece to the bigger picture. Every song and language is used to glorify and embrace the mystical experience of our cosmic reality. As an astronomy nerd, I througohuly enjoy to connect scientific relationships.
THE ART OF OUR UNIVERSE
IS FOUND IN THE UNIFYING REALITY that we are all comprised of the same elements That are in
....each twinkling star
Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, & nitrogen- the basic elements needed for life!​
LANGUAGE & DANCE
As an American, I have grown to adore Hispanic and Latino culture. With strong hopes, I will be acquiring a Bachelors of Arts in Spanish. I come from a long line of Ohioans who were once immigrants from Ireland and Germany. With their agricultural knowledge, these Irish and German farmers raised their children in between the cornfields and cow pastures of "The Patch-quilt" state of Ohio, as my Grandma Stewart called it. My Grandpa Bihn was one of thirteen kids-which means anyone with the last name of Bihn in the borders of Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Kentucky are related to me almost indubitably. Growing up in a small town in Northwest Ohio, I desired to travel and see the world. More importantly, I wanted to be able to communicate with people because what better way to connect with people. Studying International Relations and Spanish has enhanced my cultural understanding, most especially because FIU is in Miami, a melting pot of Latin American countries. I am thankful to have Colombian, Peruvian, Venezuelan, Panamanian, Guatemalan, Spanish, Nicaraguan, and (of course) Cuban friends I have met at FIU. This university has a huge international community that has represents a multitude of countries from all around the world.
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I started to become immersed in the dance scene in Miami. As my parents house is close to The University of Miami, I began attending their Salsa Craze club where they teach you how to dance La rueda, which is essentially a huge circle in which everyone is paired up and has to follow the leader. This person then calls out different moves where on the next 8-count, the men lead a particular move in which the women follow.
Salsa Craze has helped me improve immensely in my social dancing. There is a famous bar known as "Ball and Chain" which is known as a salsa hub in an area known as Little Havana, a epitmological derivative to represent the overwelming Cuban community that resdies in the area from the diaspora and influx of Cuban refugees from the Castro dictatroship. This form of flawed government also being the reason of many stories told from other people from multiple latin american countries, like Venezuelans seeking asylum. Havana, Cuba is very much alive in Little Havana with the iconic live with the picante (spice) flavor of salsa bands enlivening the ambience of the streets and the haze of cuban cigars in the air.
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The style of the man leading and women following is a representation of the traditional idea of the men being not only leaders but the slightly machista (masculine) idea that is institutionalized in the dance in a beautiful manifestation. Being a women, I am traditionally a follower, although more and more women are learning to be "leads", and some men are learning to be "followers". It is not easy to do either, and requires a great level of coorperation and coordination. It is not easy to maintain connection, and esepcially when social dancing, to follow the lead's intention of a motion.
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There are other forms of hispanic dances practiced socially in Miami including bachata, and merengue. My friend had introduced me to a professional bachata crew in which I was thankful to join back in February. They are known as MJ Latin Fusion. With this bachata group, I have been exponentially pushed passed my comfort zone. I had to learn how to trust my teammates to LIFT ME UP IN THE AIR. I have been terrified to do flips and turns in the air, although I wish to be able to do them. I not only discovered I have major trust issues, but I found how to literally lean into my fear. My fear is not of heights but rather of falling, so being tossed in the air is extremely uncomfortable. I have began to enjoy doing the dance routines, and progressively have grown more security even in the more slim teammates as the lifts are predominately based in momentum. It's incredible.
Contact
I am currently living in beautiful Miami, Florida.
Please feel free to email me at kbihn001@fiu.edu.