HawkTalk
Beyond NY Christian Grotewold

Getting To Know Your Peer Leader

Ink Collection
Ink Collection

It has been a quiet week here in Guatemala, so I decided to do something different for this week's post. Since I am one of your peer leaders for orientation, I thought it would be nice to tell you about myself in a very unique and creative way... through my tattoos. I have a total of seven tattoos and they all have their own meaning and are linked to my life in some way.

Tattoo #1
Tattoo #1

It all started when I was 15 years old. I went into my parents' room and asked them if I could get a tattoo. Surprisingly and without hesitation, they said "yes." I was shocked at how easily they agreed to let me mark my body — their explanation was that it was my body and I could do whatever I wanted with it. So, I decided to look for a tattoo that showed who I was. The design I chose was a ying-yang of a white tiger and a dragon. Since I am part Chinese from my mother's side of the family (my great great grandfather was Chinese), the ying-yang would portray that part of me. The dragon and tiger are a symbol of time, the tiger is assertiveness, and the dragon is power and bad temper. I have all these characteristics, and it also happens that my favorite animals are tigers.

Tattoo #2
Tattoo #2

I got the second tattoo when I was 17 years old, and it is a lightning bolt. This is perhaps the simplest tattoo I have but demonstrates the three biggest obsessions in my life: Pikachu (I even had one of my dogs named Pikachu), Harry Potter, and Lady GaGa. I found it very interesting that those obsessions all have to do with lightning... And just to add more to this, my favorite villain of all time is Dr. Doom from The Fantastic Four, and he also has lightning powers.

Tattoo #3
Tattoo #3

My third tattoo is a phrase I created: "Make Your Life A Masterpiece." I decided to get this tattooed on me because I live for myself and everything I do is for me. I try to live every day like it were my last. I also wanted people to be able to easily read this and to be inspired and motivated to do as I do and enjoy life. It is amazing how a simple phrase can inspire people to be themselves and do what they like. It was this tattoo that marked a change in my life. I was finally free from any prejudice I thought I was subjected to, and I left negativity and hatred behind and began to love my life more.

Tattoo #4
Tattoo #4

My fourth tattoo was designed during one of my freshman LC classes. It is a treble clef consumed by flames and it represents the company I created during this LC, Hot Hits. Music has always been a huge passion in my life. I live for the music, and it is my dream to someday make my own record label and leave my mark on the music industry. I placed this tattoo on my right ankle because I want every step to take me further into fulfilling my dream, and always begin with the right foot.

Tattoo #5
Tattoo #5

My fifth tattoo is one of the most significant ones I have gotten. This tattoo is dedicated to my family. It is of three roses: one yellow, one red, and one blue. The yellow rose is my father because he is an Aries and his element is fire. My sister is the red rose because she is also an Aries. The blue rose is my mother because she is a Pisces and her element is water. The colors worked perfectly because they are the primary colors, and they are on me because I am their canvas. They "colored" me with a lot of lessons about life and now I am their walking piece of art.

Tattoo #6
Tattoo #6

My sixth tattoo is one that pays homage to my inner geek. It is the Triforce from Zelda. The three triangles represent power, courage, and wisdom. Those are three things I aspire to possess one day in full. I decided to include my horoscope symbol, the Gemini, in the middle in the form of the tree of life. I did this because I believe in astrology and the tree of life is what connects everything in our world.

Tattoo #7
Tattoo #7

My seventh and most recent tattoo is a dream catcher. I decided to incorporate this tattoo with my lighting bolt because it adds to the meaning. The dream catcher has a wolf, which is the symbol of a warrior, resting on the net to fight off all my nightmares and fears. Then there are three strings, one attached to my lightning bolt which are my obsessions, passions and dreams. The other attaches to a feather that partially transforms into birds; the feather represents the creation of more dreams, and the flying birds the path I have to follow to fulfill my dreams. And the third string connects to a sword which represents that I have to fight for my dreams.

Well, there you have it... Now you know one of your peer leaders in a very artistic and symbolic way.