Food and Water
The good thing about owning a small dog is that it won't eat much.  Jack will eat about half a bowl of dog food a day, but his bowl isn't very big.  Since we've gotten Jack six months ago, we've only had to purchase two or three bags of dog food.

See the bowl in the picture to your left?  That's actually the smallest food bowl they had available at Pet Co.  Jack's grown into it more now, but when he was a puppy, he could have fit inside the thing.

Because Yorkies are small, you have to feed them more often than you would a big dog because their metabolisms are fast.  I recommend keeping a bowl that contains a little bit of food out most of the time or at least designating two or three meal times a day for your puppy.  Good "meal times" would be when you eat so your puppy won't beg at your feet. 

Your vet will be able to recommend the best kinds of food for your puppy.  You should also use the same brand of food your breeder used and possibly adjust your puppy to a new brand later on.  If you abruptly switch brands of food, your puppy could get sick. 

We have a bowl that has constantly running water for our three of our dogs that Jack uses.  If you don't have fresh water available, be sure to change out your puppy's water bowl at least once a day.

You should be able to find small puppy bowls for only a couple of dollars at your local pet store or even Wal-Mart.

Toys
These are more of a luxury, but please know that you'll need to get your puppy at least one toy to keep up his imagination.  I heard that three toys is the perfect amount for a dog because he'll never get bored or spoiled.  I guess Jack is spoiled because he has about fifteen toys.  He shares them with the other dogs, of course, but he dominates them. 

A lot of toys can be handmade, like Christmas ornaments.  Those round shiny balls with the knob at the top?  Jack loves them.  They're his favorite toy.  He always loses them though.  We also get Jack squeaky balls and small stuffed animals because he loves fetch and tug of war.  He plays with a few toys left over from our previous dog, Coco, who didn't work out in our household because she attacked our dog Boo.  He also loves makeshift toys like toilet paper rolls and plastic cups.  Jack will basically play with anything.

To the right, you can see Jack's expression when he really, really, really, really wants me to play with him.  Cute, isn't it?

Be sure to check out Jack's YouTube channel at JacktheDorkyYorkie.  
 

So last spring my friends and I had a prank war.  We split into teams and basically took turns pranking each other.  My side did pretty well, if I do say so myself. :)  Our best prank was when we filled one guy's car up to the windows with shredded paper. 

The war has begun again.  While it was complex and fought by many last year, we're trying to keep it small this year.

Let me introduce you to the enemy, Caleb a.k.a. Muber, pronounced MYOO-buhr.  Muber comes from a mixture of Frankie Muniz and Justin Bieber, Caleb's celebrity look-a-likes.  You can check out a picture of Muber and me below.  Remember... this is the enemy.  
The best and smartest team is made up of me and Rebekah.  I've written about Rebekah in a few previous blogs, but I'll go ahead and introduce her again.  We've been friends since early elementary school when we were neighbors.  We make a great team because we both have many schemes up our sleeves.  Check out Rebekah and I in the picture below.
The war started up again when Caleb cut a lock of Rebekah's hair last week.  He cut her hair!  You should never cut a girl's hair without her permission... never.  That's suicide!  Immediately, Rebekah and I decided to get Caleb back in a way he wouldn't forget.  We began to devise a plan.

Be sure to check back for more updates about our war.  We've been taking lots of pictures, so get ready to chuckle. :)

Do you have any prank ideas?  

Are you considering adopting a Yorkie puppy?  Then keep reading.

Vet Bills
One of the biggest expenses involved in taking care of a puppy is vet bills.  We've had to take Jack in for his shots.  He's gotten sick once since we've had him and we ended up taking him to the vet and getting him some antibiotics for a stomach bug.  We also had to get Jack neutered when he turned six months old. 

Your vet will help you get a schedule down to ensure that you get your puppy all the right vaccinations, but you've also got to make sure that you have a little emergency fund in case he gets sick or hurt.  Yorkie puppies are super bold, so they often think they're stronger than they are.  There have been a few instances where Jack has climbed to the very top cushion of the sofa and jumped off bravely and we've been afraid that he might snap a little leg if he isn't careful. 

If you don't think you can afford the vet bills, then you probably aren't ready to get a puppy.

Grooming
If you're getting a Yorkie, be ready to fork over some money for a groomer unless you're good at grooming dogs.  Yorkies have hair that is similar to humans' because it's without an under layer.  It can easily get matted or greasy.  It also grows pretty fast.  We take Jack to a groomer to be trimmed generally about twice a month, but we like his fur to stay short. 

When Jack was a little puppy, we couldn't have his body trimmed because he still had his puppy coat.  The groomer told us that if you cut a Yorkie's baby coat, there's a chance it might never grow back or even fall out.  Now we have Jack's fur cut short each time he goes to the groomer.  I ask for the "puppy cut," which is basically an adult replica of a Yorkie puppy's hair length.  I'm not a big fan of the long and flowing locks and the pretty bows, at least not for my manly Jack. ;) 

Did you know that all Yorkies look basically the same when they're little puppies?  They all have fluffy bear-like faces and fur that is dark and reddish brown.  As they get older, their puppy coats will fall out and change color and that's when they'll start to look different.  It's difficult to know what colors you're going to get when you adopt your Yorkie as a puppy.  He could be blue (dark gray) or gold or silver or beige.  It really depends on his parents.  I enjoy the surprise. 

Jack's fur does tend to get greasy, just like a human's, so we usually bathe him once or twice a week.  Since Jack is currently three and a half pounds and nearly full grown, a few inches of water in the sink will be good enough for him.  I usually shower with Jack every four or five days.  He enjoys biting at the water and trying to hide from the spray. 

Because you'll need to bathe your Yorkie fairly often, try to get a moisturizing shampoo or a conditioner.  Also, try to brush your Yorkie before you give him a shower because the water can cause tangles to turn into matts.  And if your puppy gets matts, he'll have to be shaved.  Yikes, right?

Be sure to check out Jack's YouTube channel called JacktheDorkyYorkie.   
 

Upon request, today's post is about how I take care of my seven-month-old Yorkie puppy, Jack.  I thought I would go ahead and make a series out of this because there is a lot of information involved in taking care of a puppy and I have plenty of pictures to share. :)

Today I'll explain why I came to choose a Yorkie in the first place. 

I always thought that Yorkies were these tiny, fragile dogs with hair that would take longer to fix than mine.  Honestly, if someone would have asked me two years ago if I wanted a Yorkie as a pet, I would have laughed and said no way.  I don't like yippy teacup dogs.  I like small dogs, but dogs that have personalities.

My mom's friend got a Yorkie on a spur-of-the-moment purchase, from a pet store, of all places.  Everyone was shocked that she would actually buy a pet shop puppy, but he ended up being absolutely adorable.  I fell in love.

This other puppy wasn't the stereotypical Yorkshire Terrier I had always thought about.  He was tiny, yes, but he was as rambunctious and bold as a big dog.  He had a huge personality.  In fact, he was hilarious. 

Since my little brother was finally old enough for my family to get a small dog, my family decided to start researching Yorkies.  According to what we read, they were clever and full of personality.  All of the resources said that we could teach Yorkies to not be yippy or scared and we didn't have to keep their hair long and girlie, like in the picture above.

We began our search for a Yorkie breeder and we found one who lived in a town nearby.  We spoke with the owners and then went to visit them.  They had a small litter of only two puppies.  There was a girl and a boy.  The little girl was trembling and shaking.  If any of us tried to hold her, she flinched away from us and tried to hide.  On the other hand, the little boy was chasing the other dogs in the room and playing tug of war with us and jumping into our arms to try to lick our faces.  He was adorable.  We went home with him that night and named him Jack.  After Jack the Ripper, interestingly enough.

I took the picture to your right the night we brought Jack home.  Wasn't he tiny and cute?  I loved his teddy bear face.

We actually probably took our puppy home a little too early at only six and a half weeks, now that I look back, but those specific breeders encouraged it, so we did.  I have to say though, if you get your puppy as early as we got Jack, be sure to socialize him and introduce him to hectic and crazy environments so he won't be a shaky dog when he grows up.  You're taking the place of his mommy.  It also helped that we have two older dogs who adopted Jack as their own after a few weeks of adjustment and taught him the way things go around our house. 

I adore Jack.  He has the biggest personality out of all of our dogs.  He's bold and playful and intelligent.  He learns tricks like crazy and tries desperately to please me.  He can play for hours upon hours at a time, but when I sit down to read or watch TV, he'll curl up right next to me and fall asleep with his chin on my knee.  I love him.

I got the first photograph shown from here. 

I didn't take many pictures of Jack this week.  In the early afternoons, when I just get home from school, eat lunch, and watch an episode or two of "Monk" on TV, Jack always takes a nap on the cushion by my head.  He stands and watches me eat for a few minutes and then curls up and falls fast asleep right next to me.  And when Jack sleeps, it takes a lot to wake him up.

I love this time of day when Jack is sleepy because he lets me cuddle with him.  Normally, Jack is feeling bouncy and excited.  He brings me his toys to play fetch or tug of war or he runs up to me and growls to try to taunt me into chasing him around the living room.  If I don't chase him, he'll try to chase me. 

But when Jack is feeling tired, he'll lay right down next to me and let me kiss him and hug him and play with his little feet.  I love cuddling with my baby boy.  I love trying to wake Jack up after he falls asleep.  It's a game of sorts.  I can blow on his face and pull on his paws and ruffle his fur and he doesn't usually even bother to open his eyes and look at me.  He stays fast asleep, curled into a tiny little ball. 

Have you noticed how silver Jack is getting?  His back is still black, but his face and paws and chest are all becoming silver and gold.  He's getting so old!  His layers under his baby fur on his back are silvery, so I think he may get a little lighter than he is right now. 

Jack is seven months old and about three and a half pounds.  We think he's basically full grown.

Sometimes if I continue to mess with him while he's asleep, he flops over onto his side or even onto his back with his little legs sticking straight up in the air.  He never opens his eyes though.

And when I've finished with my TV show and stand up to go upstairs, Jack is suddenly wide awake and leaps from the couch in a fit of excitement.

Oh, puppies. 

Today is my dad's birthday, so I'd like to dedicate this post to him.

You know, I've been blessed with a lot of things in my life, especially when it comes to my father.  It seems like very few kids are given the chance to grow up with a devoted and loving father.  I have one.  I've been given the most amazing dad anyone could ever have.  He doesn't let a day pass by without letting me know how much he loves me.

I love you, Daddy.

Jack has taken up the habit of shoving a toy into his mouth when he's excited.  When I get home, when he wakes up from a nap, when I talk to him in a sweet voice... he always fills his mouth with some sort of a toy.  I love when he tries to bark and his voice comes out muffled.

In the picture to the left, I had just gotten home from church.  Jack was feeling sweet, so he jumped up on the bed and flattened his ears against his head like he always does.  Of course he had to grab a toy.

These colorful squeaky balls are some of Jack's favorite toys.  They're crazy loud.  Sadly, Jack's broken the squeakers in all three of his balls.  It's the most pitiful thing to hear them wheezing as Jack tries to squeak them.


I just love puppy kisses, don't you?

When I get home and Jack grabs his toy, I usually fling it away and he'll practically attack me, showering with kisses and letting me know how excited he is that I love him.

I like how Jack has huge, fluffy legs and the daintiest little paws.  I have no idea how he balances on his tiny feet.  He's so funny.

Have you noticed that Jack is changing colors?  My little baby is growing up.


And for the last photo of the day, here is my darling Jack trying so hard to get to the bowl of popcorn beside the couch.  If he was just a little bit bigger...

I'm posting this week's Jack update a few days late.

On Thursday, Jack was neutered.  I was worried for him, but he turned out just fine!  He was trying to run around and play the day he got neutered.  He was very disappointed that he had to lay still all day and the day after that.  Poor boy!

When he first got home, Jack was very woozy.  He stretched out beside me as I watched TV and could hardly keep himself awake, even though he was trying.  He'd lift his little head up to watch me, but it would fall backwards and bounce against the couch cushion.

He was so sedated... I enjoyed having the snuggle-bunny Jack I get to have at nighttime during the afternoon, but I did feel bad for him because he wanted to be awake so badly.  He's such a curious little guy.


Later on in the day, Jack grew much more active.  In fact, we had to put him in his playpen because he kept trying to jump off the couch to go wrestle with our other two dogs. 

No matter how active Jack became throughout the day, his eyes kept that squinty sedated look.  I felt so bad for the little guy.  He looked so worn out and beaten up. 

Being neutered is such a painful ordeal.


I have a question for you, readers.  Our two male dogs: Jack and Buddy have begun a crazy marking war over the last few weeks.  They've been marking all over our house!  We've put the older one, Buddy, in a temporary diaper, but that can't last forever.  Does anyone have experience on this type of thing?  How can we stop this terrible marking war? 

I mean, look at what my poor dog has to wear!  It's a travesty.

Here are this week's pictures of Jack. :)

Okay, let's hear a collective, "Awwwwwwww!" 

It was one of those days where it was absolutely freezing outside, so of course we had to put Jack in his adorable blue sweater.  And you know, when you've been playing outside in the snow, it's perfectly naturally to fall fast asleep soon after. 

And sleep hard.

And adorably. 

I have the cutest puppy in the world.


Of course, after a long, relaxing nap, Jack has to wake up eventually.  And he has to look adorable while he's waking up.

Actually, my mom and I desperately wanted to get a picture of Jack yawning because it makes him look so cute and sleepy.  When you rub the side of Jack's face with your finger, it makes him yawn, so Mom would rub his cheek and say, "Hurry, take the picture!"

We finally got one! Here is my darling Jack... and the family cat Oreo who lives outside. 

Funny, because Oreo has never in his life been allowed to come inside.  When it snows, he can sleep in the garage or the barn to have shelter, but he's never been allowed into the actual house.  However, he always seems to think that if he stands outside the door with the dogs, we'll let him in too.  Oh, Oreo.

I love Jack's little blue sweater.


Here is a glimpse of how small Jack's paw is compared to my thumb.  He's so little.  We think he's nearly full grown at about three and a half pounds.  He may still gain a pound or two, but he doesn't seem to be getting much bigger.  His growth seems to have come to a halt.
 

And finally, I'd like to show you a picture of Jack trying out the snow.  He wasn't sure what to think of that cold white nonsense at first... but then he went insane and played in it like crazy!  He ran around and around and around our property.  You can see Jack playing in the snow here on my YouTube vlog.
 

Some people have asked me why I choose to write so much about my faith.  Today I thought I'd share my point of view about why I write what I write. 

I have a God-given talent. 
I don't mean this in a boastful way whatsoever.  I credit everything to God.  However, I'm not afraid to say that I have been given a gift in writing.  I'm fairly good at writing and I enjoy it.  It's what I love.  The passion for writing that I have is very clearly from God.  I've made up little stories and poems since before I could actually write with a pencil.  I've always loved it, and I know God has given me this love for a reason.  How could I use it in a way that isn't for His glory?  I try to filter everything I write through Matthew 5:14, which you can read at the top of this screen.  I write as a city on a hill.  People know I'm a Christian and I want what I create to glorify God and be a light for Him.

My faith is my identity.
Everything I know and believe and ponder is wrapped around the core of my existence: my faith.  Without Christ, I don't even know what I would write about.  I write about my passions.  My greatest passion is for the One who gave me life.  My faith is a huge part of my identity.  It's who I am.

I try to be a shining light.
Obviously, there are many people of other faiths on the internet.  Not everyone who reads my blog is a Christian.  While I don't want to force my faith on anyone, I do believe my words can be a shining light for Christ.  I also hope the things I write will help to form a more positive opinion about Christians and Jesus than those that many people have.

Writing about my faith gives me joy.
I love to write about my faith.  I honestly do.  I have a passion and a love for Jesus Christ.  Shouldn't I write about what gives me joy?  My messages may not always be about my faith directly, but I do try to filter everything I write through Matthew 5:14, as a city on a hill.  

I love writing.  It's a gift God has given me, and I'm so grateful for that.  I still need to improve... a lot, I know, but that doesn't take away the passion I have for writing, whether or not I'm good.  Without writing, I don't know who I'd be or what I'd do. 

Do you see?  Maybe you do, maybe you don't.  I write what I love and there is nothing I love more than my Savior.  You might think I'm weird, but that's okay.  I'll continue to write about my faith.  You don't have to read my words if you don't want to.  Could I be more popular if I wrote about broader topics?  Perhaps, but I wouldn't have the same joy in writing as I do now.  I write what I love.  Why would I want to change that?

I have an idea.  Please let me know if you like it.  I'm considering setting aside every Saturday to share pictures of my sweet Yorkie puppy Jack.  He's always getting into crazy adventures and I often keep my camera around when he's being cute or silly.  He's gotten a lot of positive feedback from you guys... he is a lady's man, after all.  Here are some pictures from this last week.  Let me know if you like the weekly idea.

Here's me trying to get Jack to pose for a picture.  He hates sitting still.  His favorite blue squeaky ball was sitting only a few feet away, just beckoning for someone to come play with it.  Probably what he was looking at here.

I love Jack's little paws and his shiny wet nose.  Wet puppy noses are the cutest.

He'll be six months old next Wednesday. 

Jack may not be cuddly during playtime, but when he starts to get tired, all he wants to do is snuggle right in my lap.  He loves girls. ;)




This is Jack with his favorite toy.  It's a blue ball around the size of an egg.  It has a squeaker inside that's nearly broken from teeth punctures and a face decorates one side.

Jack loves this toy.  I don't mean he likes it sometimes.  It could be 4am and Jack would still be willing to play with this ball.  It's his favorite thing on earth.

We actually got him three of these balls.  He has orange, red, and blue, but the blue ball is his favorite... probably because the squeaker works the best.

I love how his toy matches his favorite little sweater.  He's such a handsome fella.



And finally, here's Jack during a short road trip we took.  We were visiting a college, so I put Jack in his A&M jersey... it's best to show our loyalty wherever we go.  Jack's an Aggie, you know.

I love how you can see the tip of Jack's pink tongue.  He sticks out his tongue quite often.  I think he knows it makes him look cuter.

I love him.  

I'm a senior in high school, due to graduate at the end of May.  To be honest, it still hasn't quite hit me that in seven months, I'll be moving away from my family and friends to live and attend school in another city.  It's scary.  Yes, I've traveled far away from home before.  I've been to ten countries outside of the United States, eight of them away from my family, but I've never actually \lived away from home for longer than a month.

In my mind, I'm still a little girl struggling to learn how to tie her shoes.

How will I take care of myself in a few months?

Last night, I was curled up beneath the covers of my bed, thinking about how we had finally regulated the temperature in my bedroom.  Each year, we deal with the same issues.  At the beginning of the summer, each night is too hot and stuffy.  By the end of autumn, we've finally regulated the temperature but the weather has started to become cold at night again, causing me to wake up in the middle of the night shivering like crazy.  Anyways, last night, I was lying in bed and thinking, "Next year, before it gets so cold, I'll try..." and then I stopped.

Next year?  What next year?  I'll have moved out by then.  I won't be living at home anymore.

And for a brief, awful moment, I felt like my entire world was crashing down around me.

]See, calling myself a creature of habit is an understatement.  When my best friend Ali moved in for a couple of months, she quickly had to learn how opposed I am to change.  Once she moved the box that holds my contacts from one end of the counter to the other and I nearly had a heart attack when I saw the difference. 

I have to prepare myself before I flip the calendar pages each month... because the new page will be different from the last page.

You may not have noticed, but I hate change.  I live by routine.  I wear the same kinds of clothes, all color-coded in my closet.  I keep an organized schedule before bed each night.  Want to see it?

Check Facebook/my website/etc one last time.
Take a shower, get dressed, brush teeth, etc.
Unplug all electronics.
Shut all doors and drawers.
Get into bed.
Read three chapters of the Bible.
Read my latest book until the chapter number has a 3, 5, 7, or 0 as its last digit.
Carmex and lotion.
Check to see if alarm lock is set.  Twice.
Check to see if the alarm sound is turned up.
Dim clock light.
Turn off lamp.
Check to see if alarm clock is set one last time.
Turn over pillow and start out sleeping turned away from the door.

It's the same thing every single night without fail.  I don't like change.  What scares me the most about going to college is the fact that I will have to begin a brand new schedule in a brand new environment all by myself.  Everything will be different, which \is difficult for my mind to even comprehend right now.

I've been trying to prepare myself ahead of time.  I change things in my bedroom and see how long I can take it before I have to change them back.  For example, the other day, I put one of my alphabetized (by author) books on the wrong shelf.  On purpose!  That counts, right?  I've started using a different kind of hairbrush.  I even switched around a few wall decorations in my room to different walls.

The whole preparation thing has been working out pretty well, if I do say so myself.  So far I've only had thirteen panic attacks since Tuesday... just kidding.  But seriously, how am I going to survive moving out?

Change is inevitable.  I know that.  I can't stay a senior in high school forever... and I don't want to.  I want to grow and mature and branch out and do great things, not be stuck in a high school student's bedroom for the next seventy years.

No matter how hard it might be to change environments, I know God is on my side.  He will help me and strengthen me.  And I'm deciding now that when the time comes, I will move to a new city with courage and strength... but I'll keep my alphabetized books.    

Today Ali and I will answer some questions about our social experiment we called "Facing Prejudice," where Ali dressed up in a Muslim hijab and visited various locations in our city to see how our community treated Muslims. 

Do you think the social experiment was successful?
Ali: I do, because we got responses.  We got to see how people reacted to differences.
Emily: I think the social experiment was definitely successful.  I learned a lot by seeing how people treated Ali when she was wearing the hijab.  I'm always very careful to never appear prejudiced, but now I realize that even avoiding someone to try not to appear prejudiced can be a form of prejudice in itself!  After our experiment, I had to realize the level of prejudice our community still has against Muslims.  From now on, if I ever see a Muslim woman, I'll definitely make an effort to smile at her and greet her.  I'll also try to raise more awareness about the prejudice within my community.

Did the experiment change the way you view prejudice?
Ali: Yeah.  I'm Hispanic, so there's sometimes prejudiced people against me.  I don't like it when people are prejudiced towards me and I don't want to be prejudiced, but I think all of us have prejudiced moments at one point or the other.  We need to realize [that].  I wouldn't have thought avoiding someone would have been prejudice.  If I ignored someone, it would probably be because I didn't want them to think I was judging them, but in reality, by completely ignoring them like people did to me, I was being prejudiced because I was treating them differently.
Emily: Definitely.  I always thought of prejudice as someone treating another person with hateful words and condescension, but I never really thought of prejudice as someone avoiding someone else.  There are a lot of forms of prejudice and all of them are hurtful and need to end.    

So do you think there is prejudice towards Muslims in your community?
Ali: Oh, yes.  Very much!  You could tell that the moment I entered any place.  You could really tell it in the Sonic line.  Even in Christian bookstores, which is sad.
Emily: There is definitely still prejudice against Muslims in my community.  Like Ali said, when no one would stand in the same line at Sonic as Ali, that showed a lot about how people in our community feel about Muslims.  Yes, there are some high emotions surrounding Islam and terrorism, but Ali was a young teenage girl.  She was smiling and acted friendly towards everyone around her.  Muslims are still people and deserve to be treated like anyone else.

How do you think your community should change the way it treats Muslims?
Ali: I don't think we should treat them differently [than we treat each other], because they're still people and they still have feelings.  They might believe something differently, but they still feel the looks and I'm sure they're still hurt by them.  I was hurt by them, and I'm not even a Muslim.  I was hurt by how people just kind of stayed away from me and didn't even smile at me.  I mean, I'm still a person.
Emily: I wish everyone in my community would just smile at Muslims.  Don't avoid them.  Don't whisper openly about them.  Don't nudge each other when you see them.  Don't glare at them.  Especially when the Muslim in question is a teenage girl who's probably dealing with self esteem issues, just like any other girl.  Even if you're not a Muslim, just be friendly to everyone.  Treat everyone equally. 

Were the reactions what you expected them to be?
Ali: In a way, yes.  I mean, I expected people to be kind of rude and [to] get some looks, but I think they exceeded my expectations, because I wasn't expecting people to move lines because of me.  I was expecting some looks, but I wasn't expecting so many.  I thought [people] would still smile at me.
Emily: No, they actually weren't.  I didn't expect all of the nudges and stares and glares.  And I absolutely 100% did not expect people to refuse to stand in the same line as a Muslim girl.  That was ridiculous.  I suppose I thought my community wasn't very prejudiced at all.  In fact, I was a little worried that our experiment would turn up nothing because no one would react to Ali in her hijab.  Boy, was I wrong.  I kind of wish I wasn't. 

Were the reactions of the Christian community what you expected them to be?
Ali: No, no, not at all.  I expected more reaching out attitudes, evangelical attitudes, and [I was] kind of excited that I was there so they could lead me the right way, and I got completely the opposite [response].
Emily: Definitely not.  I didn't expect the people who worked at Lifeway to entirely ignore Ali.  I wasn't expecting anyone to stand up and start witnessing, but I expected more smiles and friendly greetings.  After all, like St. Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words."  He also said, "It is not fitting, when one is in God's service, to have a gloomy face or a chilling look."  He was a wise man.  Perhaps those workers should hang some of his quotes up on the wall to remind them.  If I had been a Muslim girl curious about the Christian faith, the attitudes of the people at the first Christian store we visited would have made me want to run for the hills.  I was more impressed with the attitude of the cashier at the second Christian bookstore we visited.  Her response to Ali was more what I expected before we began the experiment.    

Will you treat Muslim women differently after this experience?
Ali: I will.  I almost feel like a hypocrite because I was so mad that people weren't looking at me or smiling at me, but I do the same thing.  Whenever I looked at Muslim people, I wouldn't look at them for too long because I was scared that they would think, 'Oh, yeah, she's judging us,' but in reality, if I completely avoid them, that's worse!
Emily: I definitely will.  I've met a few Muslim girls in the past and I don't feel prejudice or dislike towards them at all, but I'm going to be sure to deliberately smile at every Muslim woman I see from now on.  Being avoided is an awful feeling.

Did you enjoy wearing a hijab?
Ali: No.  It's not a loose scarf!  I hated it.  It was really bad at first, but I kind of got used to it, but I just felt really tied up.  It's very uncomfortable.  I couldn't even move my neck much, and then if I did, I would be nervous about messing [the scarf] up.  It was constricting.
Emily: Obviously, I didn't go out in public in the hijab, but when I was practicing how to tie the scarf, I wore it around the house for a little while and could hardly stand it.  I know the hijab is something girls must have to get used to, but I thought it was extremely uncomfortable and constricting.  I felt like I could hardly turn my head or bend over without having to fuss with my scarf.  I also felt hot and stuffy after wearing the hijab for very long.  I didn't enjoy wearing it at all. 

Do you think teenage girls are too young to wear a hijab?
Ali: In a way, yes, but I guess it's up to any girl's maturity level.  Most young teens, I doubt it.  Maybe sixteen.  I think it could have a damaging effect on their self esteem.
Emily: I think it's up to the individual girl, but I think pressure should not be put on a young Muslim girl to wear the hijab while still in high school.  Girls in America have to deal with peer pressure and self esteem problems without having to face stares and dirty looks everywhere they go.   

What have you learned from this experience?
Ali: I learned that I am kind of prejudiced because I know what my reaction would have been towards Muslim women and it's not how I would have wanted.  And it's funny because I wouldn't have thought about it, but I am [prejudiced]... well, I was.
Emily: I've learned how much prejudice exists within my community.  I never realized how much prejudice there actually was.  This experiment also helped me empathize with Muslim girls, more than I ever have before.  

Did this experiment make you want to attempt other social experiments? Do you have anything in mind?
Ali: Oh yeah!  It pushed my curiosity to test people.  I would like to dress up like a homeless girl, but that would be more risky.  I want to see people's reactions and how they treat [the homeless].  I think, in a way, I expect them to treat a homeless girl worse than they treat Muslims!  A lot of glares and rude comments, maybe.  At least we didn't get any rude comments [when I dressed up as] the Muslim girl.
Emily: Most definitely!  I love experiments like this, and I'm always thinking of situations I would like to test out on people.  I love to see reactions.  In the future, I'd like to disguise myself as a teenage mother and see how people treat me, either by dressing up like I'm pregnant or borrowing someone's baby for the day.  I also might like to test some boundaries and see how people respond to interracial relationships, but that's just an idea still burrowing in the back of my mind.  We'll see if it ever happens. :)

Do you have any social experiments you'd like me and Ali to try? 

Throughout this month, I've been writing about the social experiment my best friend and sister Ali and I created to test the level of prejudice our community holds against Muslims.  Ali dressed up in a hijab and visited a few different stores in our small Texas city.  She received both dirty looks and smiles.  While there were a few acts of direct prejudice towards Ali, there were one or two acts of kindness as well. 

One of the most fun parts of Ali's disguise was showing it off to our friends and family.  Like I've said before, Ali is Mexican, not Middle Eastern, so it was quite funny to see the looks of shock on the faces of people we know.  "She looks so Middle Eastern," they would say over and over. 

Even as Ali's best friend and someone who sees her for several hours each day, it was hard for me to wrap around how Middle Eastern Ali actually appeared when she wore the hijab and "Muslim" clothing.  I even joked around that I felt like I was hosting a foreign exchange student from the Middle East whenever Ali wore her hijab in public. 

Right before Ali and I left the house to visit Lifeway Christian Store, we noticed that my eleven-year-old brother, Luke, was at home.  We decided to show off Ali's disguise.   

Now let me tell you an interesting story about Luke.  For some reason, he won't admit that Ali doesn't look white.  Perhaps in his mind, admitting that Ali is Mexican makes her seem like less of his sister... we aren't sure.  One day, when he was eating lunch, Ali and I approached him.  This was around the time when the idea of our social experiment was first coming into existence, so Ali and I had been discussing whether or not she could pass as Middle Eastern.  "Luke," I asked casually, "does Ali look Mexican to you?"

For the hundredth time, Ali is Mexican.  100% Mexican.  She looks Mexican because she is Mexican. 

Swallowing hard, Luke glanced at Ali and then down at his hands.  He seemed worried and embarrassed.  "Emily, how am I supposed to answer that?" he finally said, his cheeks flushing bright red.

Ali and I spent the next fifteen minutes laughing.  The appropriate answer would be yes.  Of course Ali looks Mexican!  Her birth family is from Mexico. 

We were eager to show Luke what Ali looked like dressed up like a Muslim.  Who knew how he would respond?  Sure enough, as soon as Luke saw Ali's clothes, a sheepish grin came over his face.  He couldn't stop staring at her, but he wouldn't say anything. 

"Does Ali look Middle Eastern to you?" I asked, trying to stifle my laughter.

Luke hesitated for a long moment, looking at Ali and then back at me with an unsure expression etched across his face.  "I'm leaving!" he finally announced before walking hurriedly away.  He still couldn't admit that Ali looked different from us.  My little brother never ceases to bring a smile to my face.

My mother's reaction was everything we could have hoped for.  She was amazed and made Ali turn around in a full circle, hardly able to believe her own eyes.  "You don't even look Hispanic like this," she said incredulously.  My younger sister Amy couldn't stop giggling. 

After Ali and I finished visiting various stores in my city, we decided to drop by our friend Rebekah's house.  Rebekah had just undergone major knee surgery and was still confiscated to a bed, so she often was bored and lonely.  We knew she could use some cheering up.  A huge smile came over her face when she saw Ali's costume.  "At first, I thought, 'What does Ali have on her head?'  And then I realized what it was...  You guys are amazing!" Rebekah said, laughing.  We spent the next thirty minutes showing Rebekah how to properly wrap a Muslim hijab.  Everyone should learn a skill like that at some point.

The moral of this post is... if you ever want a great conversation-starter, then all you have to do is dress up in a hijab and see how your friends and family respond.  The reactions are always priceless.

Tune in on January 25 to read what Ali and I learned after the completion of our social experiment.  Post any questions you might have in the comments below.  We'll be answering some questions next Tuesday.

My sister Ali and I decided to create a social experiment of sorts.  Ali dressed up in a Muslim hijab for a day and visited various locations in our small Texas city, curious to see how our community treated the Muslim minority.  During an afternoon, Ali and I visited Lifeway Christian Store and several stores in the mall.  Finally, we chose to visit a smaller local Christian bookstore in my city to see how both its workers and customers treated Ali.

This time around, Ali and I chose to pretend we didn't know each other.  I entered the store two or three minutes before Ali did, nodded and smiled when the female cashier at the front desk greeted me, and turned to examine some decorative crosses on a table towards the front of the shop.

Minutes passed and Ali walked in, earning curious stares from the two or three customers in the store.  I glanced up at her to appear like any other customer, but resumed my examination of the crosses.  Much to my surprise and delight, the cashier greeted Ali, just like she had greeted me.  "How may I help you?"

"Could you help me find the Quest Study Bible?" Ali asked, just as we had rehearsed.  The cashier seemed willing enough.  She acted completely normal as she led Ali to the Bible aisle and pointed out the Bible Ali wanted before heading back to the front desk. 

Ali meandered about the small bookstore, flipping through pages and glancing over Scripture cards before walking back to the front desk.  "I'd like to order a pre-owned copy of Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury."  I had no idea what Ali was talking about; this wasn't what we had planned, but I waited patiently as Ali placed the order.  When the cashier asked her name, much to our hilarity, Ali replied, "Ali," but pronounced her name "AH-lee" rather than "Allie."  Ali's name is actually a shortened version of Alejandra, but because of its spelling, people often mistake it for the Middle Eastern pronunciation, which came in handy that day. 

After a few moments, Ali completed her order and left the store, heading to my car, which was parked discreetly behind the building.  I browsed for a few more minutes and then headed to the front desk to purchase a few small bookmarks and Scripture cards that I purchased for my sponsored child. 

"Isn't that interesting that a Muslim girl came in here?" I asked casually, watching the cashier's face for her reaction.

Her blue eyes widened and she bobbed her head.  Her voice rose with excitement.  "I know.  It was so weird.  I could hardly believe it!"

"Do Muslims come in here often?"

The cashier shook her head.  "No!  They never come here," she said dramatically.  "Never.  This is the first time something like this has happened.  That was so strange."

"That was definitely interesting," I replied with a soft smile.  I left the store quickly, hardly unable to contain my excitement.  I hurried to my car and burst inside, laughing.  I felt like an undercover agent as I told Ali about the conversation that had gone on between me and the cashier.

After we had a good laugh, we began to talk about what we thought of how the female cashier had treated Ali.  Our feelings were positive.  The lady spoke to Ali like a human being.  She greeted her when Ali walked in through the front door, and the lady offered her help.  She didn't stare at Ali or avoid her like the cashiers at Lifeway had.  While the cashier may have been baffled, as she expressed to me, she didn't show her feelings to Ali.  She made Ali feel like any other human being walking into the store, hijab or not. 

We were impressed.

Overall, the local Christian bookstore offered Ali the least amount of prejudice of any other store we visited.  The customers seemed curious, which was natural, but they didn't stare too long at Ali or give her dirty looks.  The cashier was friendly and acted natural, like nothing was strange about the way Ali dressed, even if she thought otherwise.  The environment of the store was a great place for a real Muslim teen who might be curious about the Christian faith to be able to visit without feeling alienated from others.

Check in on January 20 to read about the last few reactions we experienced from family and friends during our social experiment and then on January 25 to read a final interview about what we learned from this social experiment. 
 

My sister Ali and I decided to test the level of prejudice that exists in my small Texan city by dressing Ali up in a black hijab and visiting public places.  We chose to visit a Christian bookstore first because Ali and I are both Christians, and we wanted to see how fellow believers would treat someone of an opposite religion.  We decided to visit Lifeway Christian Store. 

To be honest, Ali and I weren't quite sure how the store clerks would respond.  Would they ask Ali questions?  Would they counsel her?  Would they be eager to show her around the store as an opportunity to be a witness?  We were fairly certain that the workers at the Christian bookstore would hold very little prejudice... I mean, the Bible teaches us to love everyone.  Why would there be prejudice in a store that sells Bibles?

For this experiment, Ali and I went together as friends, bumping shoulders and holding arms and talking quietly amongst ourselves like teenage friends would.  I wore a Christian t-shirt that said "Jesus Saves" boldly across the front.  Ali wore her black hijab. 

When we first entered the Christian bookstore, smiling and acting as friendly and approachable as possible, no one approached us.  No one greeted us from the front desk, as is customary for stores like Lifeway.  No one asked us if we needed any help.  Ali received a few discreet stares from customers, which we expected.  After all, a Muslim girl walking into a Christian bookstore is a strange occurrence.  The looks weren't glares.  However, we received no smiles and no greetings from anyone at all.

As we entered the store, a young female worker walked in front of us.  We both lifted our heads and smiled at her, and I said, "Hi," but she nodded quickly at me and didn't even look at Ali once.  It was like the young woman was afraid to acknowledge Ali or even offer her a smile, for fear of how Ali would respond. 

Ali and I meandered about the store for a little while, browsing through books for about six or seven minutes before a man finally walked up to us and asked me if we needed any assistance.  "Do you sell the Quest Study Bible?" I asked, quickly thinking of an opportunity to interact with a stranger.  The man nodded and led us to the Bible aisle, never once giving Ali a word or even a glance.  He completely ignored her.  He told me a little bit about the Bibles available and then walked away. 

Ali and I were stunned.

You'd think that a Muslim girl walking into a Christian bookstore would be considered an excellent opportunity for Christians to witness or at least to act as positive examples for Jesus Christ, but absolutely no one would look at her.  She was completely ignored.

Later, when I asked Ali if anyone acknowledged her whatsoever, she replied, "There was one lady. She wasn't a worker- she was just a customer- and she actually smiled at me.  We were in there for about thirty [or] forty minutes, and she was the only person that smiled at me.  Isn't that sad?  That's sad." 

After a few more minutes of skimming through the Bibles, I left Ali alone in that aisle and walked up to the front desk.  I asked if they carried "The Way of the Master" by Ray Comfort.  One of the female cashiers asked, "What's that about?"  The same man who had directed me to the Bibles earlier said, "It's an evangelical tool."  The look on the woman's face was priceless when she blurted, "Ohhhhhhhhh...." as if everything made more sense after that. 

I finally decided to purchase "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan, and Ali went to the front desk with me, standing quietly at my side as I purchased the book.  "Do you need anything else?" the male cashier asked, looking only at me. 

"No thank you," I replied.  The man said nothing else.

As Ali and I left the bookstore, still no one dared to look her in the eye or speak to her even once.

We piled into my car in stunned silence, shocked at the strange response we'd received from the workers at the bookstore.  Ali wasn't given dirty looks, but no one smiled at her.  I was treated kindly with smiles and words, but everyone seemed intimidated by Ali's presence, like she was an alien from a foreign planet who might bite if someone dared speak to her.

"[This] was very weird," Ali said after being asked about the experience. "People would avoid me, and whenever we talked to them- or whenever Emily [talked to them]- they just kind of talked to her.  Even though I was standing right beside her, they didn't really look at me.  It was just really strange; almost kind of disappointing because Lifeway's actually one of my favorite stores.  I thought they would have been more of a shining light for a Muslim girl like me."

"What was your overall impression of this experience?"

"[I'm] kind of disappointed," Ali replied, shrugging her shoulders sadly.  "And actually, to be completely honest, I think my reaction would probably be about the same.  I would be scared to talk to someone, you know, just because I don't want to offend them.  Maybe they just don't know [where] to draw the line.  But this is something that I will definitely use."

It's true.  Perhaps people avoid Muslim women entirely out of fear of seeming offensive or acting like they're staring, but feeling ignored can feel just as awful as feeling stared at, as Ali experienced while at Lifeway.  She told me, shaking her head with wonder, "When that lady smiled, I just felt like a regular person, which is really weird.  I think we just need to acknowledge different people more."

While I'm glad that Ali received no dirty looks while in Lifeway, I'm disappointed that she received only one smile from a customer, no greetings, and no kind words.  Jesus was an example to Christians when He spoke kindly to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4.  Jesus was a Jew, and Jews and Samaritans were total enemies, a lot like some Muslims and Christians are today.  However, Jesus was kind to the Samaritan woman.  He spoke to her and treated her with love and mercy, despite their differences.  We should use Jesus's actions as an example of how to treat those who are different and who believe different things than we do.

The biggest lesson I learned while visiting the Christian bookstore was that while I shouldn't openly stare at people who are dressed differently than I am, I need to be sure to smile at them and show kindness.  There's no better way to be an example for Christ than to act like a loving and kind friend to anyone and everyone.  I'll be sure to deliberately smile at everyone- including Muslims- from now on.

Tune in on January 13 to see what happened when we visited the mall.       

     

 

Last week, I talked about how my sister Ali and I decided to attempt a social experiment where Ali would dress up in a Muslim hijab and see how the people in my community treated her.  We were ready to face prejudice with our eyes wide open. 

We purchased a black headscarf at World Market.  After a few hours of watching YouTube tutorials, I was able to learn how to properly wrap a hijab around my head, and soon after, I figured out how to put the hijab on Ali.  One thing I learned during all of my hijab research was that many Muslim woman believe that they cannot show their hair, as they consider that to be immodest.

Step Three: The Cap 

You may not have noticed this before, but Ali has a lot of hair.  It's beautiful, but there's a lot of it, as you can see in the picture below.
Even though I had figured out how to properly wrap a hijab, it was impossible to keep Ali's hair from poking out beneath the scarf.  That simply wouldn't do.  What we needed was one of the caps that Muslim women use to cover their heads before they put on their hijabs.  We saw plenty of those in the YouTube tutorials, and most of the women even instructed hijabis to wear the caps to ensure that no hair showed beneath the headscarf.  The problem was: we weren't sure where to get one of those caps. 

After a while, we realized that without a cap, our experiment wouldn't work.  We needed some sort of a cap to cover Ali's hair.

We brainstormed for hours, trying desperately to think of something that would substitute as a hair cap.  After a few days, we had settled on a couple of lame ideas that we both knew wouldn't work.  
1.) We considered using one of those stretchy cloth book covers that kids use, but the pointy ends made Ali look more like Batman than a Muslim girl.  Surely the pointy corners of the book cover would show beneath the hijab.
2.) We tried out different headbands, but none of them concealed Ali's tiny baby hairs, the ones that were peeking out from beneath her hijab the most.
3.) We even borrowed some of my mom's pantyhose to tie around Ali's head, but if the wind blew back the hijab, how would we explain away the fact that Ali was wearing pantyhose?

After days of brainstorming, an idea came to us in the form of a ski trip.

Ali was invited to go skiing with some people from our church, so we got out all of our ski supplies from the back of a closet.  The idea didn't take long to form after that.  A black ski cap didn't look that much different from the caps the Muslim girls from the YouTube tutorials wore beneath their headscarves!

We pulled Ali's hair into a bun and used a thin headband to hold back her bangs.  After some struggling and fumbling, we managed to fit the tight ski cap over all of her hair.  To our relief and excitement, the cap worked perfectly. 

We spent the next ten minutes laughing and taking pictures of a hairless Ali. 

Step Four: Makeup and Clothing

Ali decided to wear a fairly loose, long-sleeved shirt that was designed with black, white, and gray flowery swirls.  The shirt was slightly exotic-looking and would also match the hijab.  She put a loose black jacket over the shirt.  She wore long gray slacks that were loose rather than tight, and finally added a pair of black boots to the mix.  With her hijab, the only skin that would be uncovered on Ali's body would be her hands and her face.

I enjoy playing with makeup, and since Ali doesn't wear much eye makeup on most days, I used my mediocre skills to give Ali some gold and purple eyeshadow that hopefully accentuated her "Middle Eastern" features.  Ali put on a little more mascara, foundation, and eyeliner than usual, and she was finished and looking quite lovely.

     
Step Five: The Finished Product

After Ali had put on the makeup, ski cap, and modest Muslim clothing, I carefully wrapped and pinned the black hijab around her head.  It took a few minutes- and attempts- but when I was finished, we were quite satisfied with our result.  Ali could easily pass as a Middle Eastern Muslim girl.

Perhaps Ali still looked more Hispanic than Middle Eastern.  Perhaps the hijab wasn't wrapped correctly about her head.  However, her costume was passable, because people see what they expect to see.  The clueless passersby in my small city in Texas weren't going to examine Ali's ethnicity and wardrobe and accuse her of being an imposter.  When does that happen?  No, Ali's disguise would work perfectly.

We were ready to begin our experiment. 

Tune in on January 11 to see our experiences at the first Christian bookstore Ali visited while dressed as a Muslim. 

Today I'll be answering ten more questions that some of my readers have asked me over the last year.  If this doesn't interest you, click out.  I won't be offended.  Like last time, I'll be asking you five questions at the bottom of this post.  I'd love to read your answers.

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How long have you been writing?
I've been writing for as long as I can remember.  The grandma of one of my childhood friends was talking to me a few weeks ago and asked, "Emily, do you still write?"  Writing is a talent and a passion that God has blessed me with since childhood.  I love it more than almost anything in the world.  Writing is my outlet.  It truly gives me joy.

Do you have anything published?
No, not yet.  I'm currently working on polishing a manuscript of a novel I wrote before I begin querying agents.  The novel, Before You, made the top five in an online contest at www.inkpop.com and was reviewed by HarperCollins, but they chose not to publish because of some faith issues I incorporated into the story, which I can understand.  I wrote a little mini-devotional book called Set Apart a couple years back.  It's available for you to buy in my Book Store, but I wouldn't even consider that "self published."  It's just a little something I wrote.  Maybe one day, if it's God's will, I will publish a book.
 
Can I find you on any other websites?
Yes!  I have two YouTube accounts: my music channel and my "for fun" channel.  You can find me on Inkpop and on Figment.  I have a rarely-used Twitter account as well.  I'm also a member of Susie Magazine's online community.  
 
What do you want to do when you grow up?
I don't know yet.  I'm a senior in high school right now and I'll be heading off to a university in the fall.  At this point in my life, I'd like to major in English and minor in Business, but this is very liable to change.

Do you read all of your comments?
Yes!  I love comments.  I tend to be insecure about posting the things I write online for everyone to see, so when I get an encouraging comment, it lights up my entire day.  I don't respond to a lot of comments I receive, unless they contain a question, but I read every single one.  If you've ever commented on my blog, I've read what you had to say.  And thank you.

You mention traveling a lot. How many countries have you visited?
My parents have given me so many opportunities in my life.  I'm so grateful and so blessed.  I've actually been to eleven countries, including the one where I live.  I've visited: America, Canada, England, France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Holland, Kenya.  I've only been to the airports of Canada and Holland, but I've technically been inside of those countries, so that counts!... right? :) 

Where and when do you write?
I tend to write best at night, but I write through weekend afternoons as well.  I like to write in my room, at my desk, alone.  If someone else is in the room with me, I struggle to concentrate.  I can't have any distractions. 

You write a lot of artist and song reviews. What are your top five artists/bands?
I love music.  My number one favorite artist is Elvis Presley.  He's amazing.  After Elvis, I'm not really sure who my absolute favorites are, but I'll list some amazing artists/bands that I definitely recommend.  Group 1 Crew is the coolest band ever.  I adore Colbie Caillat's voice.  I've loved Superchic[k] for years and years and years.  B. Reith is also crazy good. 

I have a problem with something you said in one of your posts. What should I do?
Tell me.  I appreciate criticism, so long as it's polite and constructive.  Feel free to disagree with something I said and comment with your opinion.  I don't appreciate hate comments that contain cuss words and derogatory phrases like "You suck!"  Those comments will be deleted.  If you stay polite and respectful, I would love to hear what you have to say, even if you disagree with me.

Will you write about ________?
Very possibly!  If you want me to write about a certain subject, request it in the comments.  I'm always looking for new ideas to write about. 

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Questions for You-
1. What are your New Year's resolutions?
2. Do you have anything published?
3. Who is your favorite artist/band?
4. What led you to find my blog?
5. If you could go anywhere, where in the world would you go?

Step One: Finding the Hijab
If you aren't sure what's going on, be sure to check out Facing Prejudice: The Idea.

Ali and I are both Christians, so for obvious reasons, we didn't have a Muslim headscarf lying around the house.  In fact, we weren't sure where we would find a genuine-looking hijab in the first place.  We finally visited a store called World Market that sells cultural items from all over the world.  We hoped desperately that it would sell headscarves.  We were in luck.  Ali came across a long black hijab that was actually quite pretty and on sale for $5, which was an extra bonus. 

After we bought the scarf, we literally ran to Ali's car in all of our eagerness to try the thing on.  We wrapped the hijab loosely about Ali's head and then laughed hysterically at the results.  We were delighted.  After all of the hours we had spent talking about and planning around our hijab, we had finally found a real one.   

If you have any knowledge of what hijabs are supposed to look like, you might notice that we didn't do a very good job of wrapping the thing properly around Ali's head.  I'm relieved now that we didn't decide to try out Ali's new costume in public right away.  Many people would have probably noticed that Ali was a fraud.  We realized that Muslim girls surely did more than draping a scarf over their heads and throwing the ends over both shoulders.  No, we still had quite a bit of research to do.

But at least we had the headscarf.


Step Two: Watch and Learn

If in doubt, where do you go to learn a new skill?  YouTube, of course.  I decided to visit YouTube and searched "how to wear a hijab."  Much to my delight, thousands of results appeared, full of video tutorials of women teaching their viewers how to properly tie a headscarf. 

I knew the basic differences between the burka, niqab and hijab, but I had no idea that there were so many ways to tie a hijab.  Some women tied it in the back; some in the front.  Some women showed their hair, while some did not.  Some women used bright and colorful scarves; some used plain black scarves, like Ali's. 

I finally settled on a triangle-shaped hijab that tied in the front, right beneath the chin.  It took me a few hours to learn how to properly to wrap the thing without it looking like a giant wrinkled bird's nest perched on the top of my head.  What amazed me was how the Muslim girls in the videos would simply wrap the thing here and there and have a perfect hijab in about thirty seconds.  Even when I figured out the direction of each wrap and tie, it took me at least five minutes to put on a hijab.

To be honest, when I finished tying my first real hijab, I was probably as proud as if I had won a gold medal.  I can't braid hair or properly knot dressy scarves I wear around my neck, so learning how to put on a hijab was quite an accomplishment for me.  Now if someone asks me for a list of my skills, I'll probably add that I'm an excellent hijab-wrapper.  (For any Muslim girls who are reading this, go ahead and laugh.  I know I'm not that great, as you can see from my photograph, but I'm still proud of myself.)  

First, I practiced my newfound talent on myself.  Go ahead and laugh because I know I look funny.  I tried to add some light into the photo because you can hardly see the black hijab against the darkness of my bedroom.  Hopefully you can get the basic idea of what I was able to do. 

If you would like to see which tutorial I used, click here. 

So after a long afternoon of pricked fingers from the pins used to keep the scarf in place, I was finished learning how to tie a proper hijab.  It looked much better than the careless wrap-around we threw over Ali's head when we first bought the hijab.  Throughout the afternoon, I had only practiced putting the headscarf on myself.  My next step was to put the hijab on Ali.

Check back on January 9 to see our finished result.     

Meet Ali.

She's the girl on the right side of this picture; I'm the one on the left.  You may recognize Ali from when we did the 30 Days of Kindness together last October.  She's been my best friend throughout high school (and also happens to be my adopted sister), and we tend to create interesting adventures.  When Ali and I are together, we often try to change the world.  We planned something recently that changed our perspective on a very important topic.

Prejudice.

Ali is 100% Mexican.  We often joke around about whether she looks Mexican or Middle Eastern because of her slanted eyes.  One day, I wrapped one of my scarves around Ali's head as a joke, but we were surprised when we realized that Ali may look like a Mexican on most days, but when she put on a headscarf, she could easily pass as a young Muslim girl.  

With all our jokes and silliness came an idea.

Ali and I live in a small Texas city where Muslims are a minority.  It's rare to see a Muslim woman in full garb walking around where I live.  Stigma and prejudice still follow Muslims, so Ali and I began to wonder: how does my community truly treat Muslim women?  What kind of looks and treatment would Ali receive if she dressed up in a hijab?

Obviously, if our plan was going to work, we would have to do more than loosely wrap a white and blue dressy scarf around Ali's head.  We were going to have to do some research.  How do Muslim women dress?  How would we accurately wrap a hijab?  But the plan had begun.  We divided our ideas into a few specific questions that needed to be answered before we could act upon our experiment.

What will Ali wear?
We needed to find a real hijab to use instead of my colorful scarf.  We knew that a lot of research was ahead of us in order to find out what was modest and what was immodest for a young Muslim woman to wear. 

Where will we go?
We decided on three places: two Christian bookstores and the local mall.  The mall would be an excellent place for Ali to interact with a lot of people.  There would be different stores for Ali to visit, giving us many opportunities to screen reactions.  At one Christian bookstore, Ali and I would enter together as friends.  At the other Christian bookstore, Ali would walk in separately from me.  I would observe from the background, pretending to be a stranger.

How will Ali act towards others?
We decided that Ali would act demure rather than outgoing.  She would avoid looking men directly in the eye.  She would keep perfect manners and a slight smile on her face in order to seem polite and friendly.  We didn't want perceived teenage negativity to mar anyone's impression of Ali.  We also decided that if someone directly asked Ali if she was a Muslim, her response would be yes, but if we came across someone we knew, Ali would tell them the truth: that we were attempting a social experiment.   

What will be my role?
I wished I could be able to dress up in a hijab as well, but since I'm paler than Snow White and I have green eyes, I knew I could not pull off looking like a stereotypical Middle Eastern girl.  My role would be to act as Ali's friend, which would be simple enough.  To liven things up a bit, we decided that I would wear a Christian t-shirt, but bring a sweater in case I needed to cover it up.  What would people think about a Muslim and a Christian holding arms and acting like close friends?  At times, my job would be to observe reactions from a distance and possibly ask questions to people around me. 

And most importantly, what is the purpose of our social experiment?
I love my city.  I love the people who live in it.  However, I wanted to see how a Muslim girl was treated within my own community.  Would a Muslim girl be treated differently than a Christian girl, just because of how she dressed and because of the prejudices surrounding her religion?  Obviously, an eighteen-year-old Americanized modern Muslim girl isn't going to be a terrorist, but is that how people would treat her?  The purpose of our social experiment would be to measure the level of prejudice that exists in my community, if only to better empathize with young Muslim women.  We decided that if there was a high level of prejudice, then we would use our stories and photographs to raise some awareness within our community and strive to change it the best we could.  The reason we were focusing on Christian bookstores was because of our own faith.  Ali and I are both Christians, and we would like to see how our fellow believers treat Muslims: with the respect and love that Jesus had for the Samaritan woman at the well or with distaste, judgment, and prejudice.    

So our plans were set.  Ali would dress in a Muslim hijab and visit three different public places.  The next step was finishing the research needed to make Ali appear like a realistic Muslim girl.  Check in on January 6 to see what we did next.