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<title>SI16 - Learning how to walk while catwalking</title>
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<body>
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<section id="sticker-container"></section>
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<section class="page--header">
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<header>
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<h1 class="title">My friend came to try it</h1>
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</header>
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<nav>
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<a href=".." data-sticker="Back"></a>
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<a href="/" data-sticker="Home"></a>
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</section>
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<main class="page--content chat">
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<p>So tell me dear, how was your first term at school?</p>
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<p>
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It was a trip mom! We jumped on a thing we called Soupboat and started diving into
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an ocean of data, inputs, readings, Python, Jupyter notebooks, etherpads,%!*!J)
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</p>
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<p>What are you talking about?</p>
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<p>
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I know, it sounds rather abstract. So it is for us. That’s why we called our Special
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Issue Learning how to walk while catwalking
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</p>
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<p>Ha, that sounds funny. Are you hungry?</p>
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<p>
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You know I am always hungry. So, the title originated from the idea of creating new
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things with unfamiliar tools in relation to language processing, while learning it
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at the same time. It is about embracing vulnerability, sharing the clumsiness with
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little time and little technical knowledge through the medium of a toolkit and
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encouraging others to walk with us.
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</p>
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<p>
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I see… Still I’m not sure if I understand. Did you make good friends? How many are
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you? Are your classmates from Rotterdam?
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</p>
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<p>
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Yes mom, we are a nice experimental group! None of them is from Rotterdam! And we
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are basically embracing the chaos and juggling and balancing. It is nice because we
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do laugh together but not at each other..We met in a common broken English ground,
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like a vernacular English let’s say..
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</p>
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<p>
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Good. Then your English should be getting better finally! So the rest also didn’t
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know how to do all these new things?
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</p>
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<p>
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Some of them did know, but they are kind enough to don’t lose their patience and
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help the others and that’s also the main point, that we want to demonstrate how
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mistakes and trials are not just part of the process but can also be results!
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</p>
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<p>
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I’m not sure if I agree with that but maybe I’m just too old and boring, sweetheart…
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</p>
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<p>
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That’s okay, maybe you’ll agree once you see it :) But yeah, on that note, we want
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to bring the human touch to the machine computing through language processing and
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individual perceptions.
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</p>
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<p>Honey your food is getting cold..</p>
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<p>
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Yes but you asked about my term before asking if I was hungry so let’s go one by
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one. Our publication is made for users to be able to understand how these processes
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work, and what it is interesting is that we, when starting the project and also
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throughout the realization of the ladder, didn’t know what the result, the meaning
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or the use of it would be. This project is characterized by the use of functions
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that process vernacular language. From gathering information by the public, to using
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texts produced by other authors, the SOUPBOAT group aims to process this content in
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order to showcase the use of these functions and produce new vernacular materials.
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</p>
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<p>Ahhh yes I remember you mentioning this vernacular thing before,..</p>
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<p>
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Yessss, you still have some memory left :) so, the topic of this term was vernacular
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language and or language processing with vernacular ways. We had a big journey for
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understanding vernacular and language processing with big data. We started thinking
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that the concept of rejection can be our main umbrella for initiating things and we
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created a glossary of the different and unexpected faces of rejection.
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</p>
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<p>
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I also remember you talking about rejection but I am getting a bit lost here, like
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how is rejection related to vernacular?
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</p>
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<p>
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Yes, this is an ongoing discussion, but basically we were trying to depart from a
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common ground, something that we could all relate to (the same as anything
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vernacular)
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</p>
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<p>But what did you m a k e ? This is rather confusing dear</p>
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<p>
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LOL wait until I tell you about the API..so we made a toolkit!! A toolkit for
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processing language with a vernacular mood. This toolkit is not just a set of tools
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but also the world we are building around them: how do we want this tools affects
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reality? This toolkit can be expanded, as new tools can be added, and the world
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around them stretched. There is a strong focus in the way we are working on it: a
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decentralized approach that builds from the ground up. Perspectivism is a nice word
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but not sure it makes sense for you.
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</p>
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<p>Yes I am not sure either..</p>
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<p>
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Yes that was a bit conceptual but basically - physically, our project is meant to
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give bunch of users several tools: ✂️scissors, 📃sticky notes, ✏️pencils, erasers,
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and printed paper. ✂️🖊📝✏️📃 And let them have fun. Cutting it and putting it
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together, making notes and writing jokes. But everything in a digital format. And
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the cool part is it’s constantly updated by the magic of API.
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</p>
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<p>
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Ok maybe you can tell me about the API after dinner. Or tomorrow. I think I need a
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break now.
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</p>
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<p>I understand mom, it is okay. Tomorrow I’ll explain to you the API, I can’t wait.</p>
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<!-- —-----------------------—-----------------One day later —------------------------------------------------ -->
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<p>
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Dear are you ready, we are already late, your dad is waiting for us in the car so
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maybe you can explain us this other IPA thing on the way to visit grandma?
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</p>
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<p>For sure, maybe dad or even grandma have some nice feedback about it.</p>
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<p>Don’t make fun of us darling, your grandma even learnt how to use Whatssapp now!</p>
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<p>
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I know! She’s a baddass isn’t she? Anyway, so, the API, there’s this very good meme
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that I think explains it in a rather good way. OK I see you cannot look now so I’ll
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describe it. Imagine a bar with different staff in it. The cooks working in the
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kitchen would be the backend, the ones behind the bar the frontend, andddd the
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people that run from the bar to the tables are the API.
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</p>
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<p>
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So an API translates the content of the Internet? What does the acronym stand for?
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</p>
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<p>
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Yes! Brilliant! I mean, kind of! So, API means Application Programming Interface,
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but I guess that doesn’t really help. It is a protocol through which most of the
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Internet we use functions, but it remains invisible,..mysterious, intangible! I’m
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not sure if we understand but you look quite excited, that’s nice, you seem to be
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learning a lot. Indeed. So basically we have created a toolkit that is deployed in
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the form of an API, the rules of which will be defined by the collection of filters
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and functions we are writing. A bit meta, yes. But it will be these rules that will
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define the politics and access of it.
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</p>
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<p>Well that does sound serious, like in a positive way I mean.</p>
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<p>
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Indeed, I’ll take that as a compliment! The idea behind choosing the form of an API
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to publish our Special Issue is that it is a way to not just publish contents but
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also the tools that we are using to generate them.
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</p>
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<p>A cute altruist gesture in these times!</p>
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<p>
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Thank you, that was the point, yes. The idea was to create an interface between the
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public and our functions as a way to offer a service, make it accessible and
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question the relations of power that this kind of structure creates.
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</p>
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<p>
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So you mean that Google, Markplaats, The New York Times, Buienradar… they all use an
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API?
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</p>
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<p>
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Exactly! OMG I’m so happy that you guys got it. So basically the API - through
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Flask, (but here I won’t get into detail, I see that we are about to arrive also)
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synchronizes the content between the functions that we have written in our notebooks
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in Python with the website.
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</p>
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<p>
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Yes honey maybe you can help us unload the car and we can continue this conversion
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with Grandma later…
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</p>
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<!-- -----------------------—---------------- After lunch —---------------------------------------------- -->
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<p>
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(Grandma) So what are these filters your mum says you have made in class? She has
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explained to me something about a website and some waiters running to the kitchen?
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</p>
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<p>
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LOLOLOL. Let’s forget about that, but maybe we can try some functions already ! They
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should still be running online, and since it’s a weekday, the API - and website
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should be open for the public.
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</p>
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<p>
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Ah so you have proper opening times! Like in the good old times, when people had
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normal schedules and no one worked on Sunday.
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</p>
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<p>
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Of course! This is why it’s a vernacular API, made by humans for other humans :)
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That was the main point for us, designing a platform that was approachable, that
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resembles our group and that is accessible for everyone. Even you grandma! Anyway,
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answering your question: we have developed 3 main projects into subgroups. One of
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them works on vernacular maps, another one on a replace function that changes words
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from a text transcript and another one that contaminates texts.
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</p>
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<p>
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And tell me sweetheart, how are the people in your class? Did you make nice friends?
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</p>
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<p>
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Yes Grandma, I was telling mom, that we made a very eclectic group. It is being very
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enriching because of the different backgrounds. We are ambitious, politically
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engaged, and very committed with the studies. I am proud of them-us, indeed!
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</p>
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</main>
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<section class="page--footer">
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<footer>Special Issue 16—Learning How to Walk while Catwalking</footer>
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</section>
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