Season 8 Journals

Cast Members’ Journals

Pau’s Journal - South Africa
    Today in our South African History class (cast class) we got our mission. Basically we have to sell 100 tickets to a Jonny Clegg concert before we get to South Africa. The money that we get will go to charity. I am totally not prepared for this because the next few days I have a couple of tests. I totally have to study and I feel bad because I don't think I can do much help for the group. I have too much studying to do. The concert will be on the last day we are in Cape Town and it will cost $20. I hope we sell 100 tickets. Please come through. I have a take home test that I am going to do right after this. Hopefully I do good on it. Well, see ya later!

Shawn’s Journal - Ayanna
    I wonder what it is about Ayanna. She really has so many sides and so many passions that figuring her out is gonna be hell. She really is like a honeycomb. Sweet as hell but heavily guarded with painful struggles. There are and have been so many times that I absolutely loved Ayanna and absolutely praised her presence in my life on this trip. She can be the coolest individual a lot of the time.
    Last night we were chillin and she was sitting on top of me and we talking of a poem by Ethridge Knight. We talked about religion and I learned that she is on point with me and my views. But there are those other times when I'm just like- What the hell is wrong with you?? She is such a strong personality and sometimes that strength is detrimental to her relationship with us. She goes off and it can be at the drop of a dime- no joke.
    I think she's trying too hard. Honestly, I think that she's trying too hard to prove to us, to prove to the world, but most importantly to herself, that she is a strong Black woman. I want to tell her sometimes that being strong isn't always being loud and telling everyone off. Sometimes you can be ten times stronger without saying a word. But that's not my place to say that. I'm learning so much about dealing with different people. I only hope that she's doing the same. She'll learn that she doesn't have to prove anything to anyone and ease a lot of the stress and tension in her life. If she doesn't, people are going to steal her joy of life.

Ayanna’s Journal- Neptune Days:
    Today was Neptune day. Yeah soldiers, raise your guns in the air because the Loco Ocho got thugged out today! Let me explain Neptune Day first. Neptune Day commemorates the crossing of the equator by the SS Univ. Explorer. To celebrate, the faculty woke everybody up this morning with pans and spoons! Then we all put on swimsuits to participate in the "Kiss the Fish" ceremony. The process entailed getting doused with a fish guts soup, glazed with mustard and ketchup, wading in the Pool of Previously Purified Pollywogs, and then topping it all off with Kissing the Fish. Yeah, I did it. I kissed the fish. The most go-hard person in the Loco 8 was Pua! She shaved her head yo! She wouldn't kiss the Fish Gut, she shaved her head! It took forever for her to get up the nerve to do it, but she finally did. Anyway, she looks good baby!!
    It's weird you know. I've kicked it with everybody in the group except for Yes and Shawn. When I say "kicked it" I mean chillin' on the one-on-one level. Let me take that back. I have kicked it with Shawn but, something just tells me that we haven't really touched on truly kickin' it yet, so, I don't say that I've really kicked it. Yet. Within on a one on one level, I'm rambling. It's late as hell and I'm tired as hell and I wish I had a huge gallon jug of apple juice! Cause I'm thirsty you know. Okay.

Shawn’s Journal- Neptune Days:
    Well we got up to do this hazing thing. What it is the leftover food crap(fish guts) gets poured on your head and you get hazed up in the pool, climb out and kiss a fish. I wanted to be bout it, bout it so when they poured it on me I kept my mouth open. I let them squirt ketchup and mustard into my mouth, then when it came to kiss the fish musta-f**kin frenched that bad boy for ten full seconds. BOUT IT, BOUT IT!!!
    We crossed the equator and the thing to do is to shave your head to signify this event. All the crew (including Kathy) shaved their heads. Pua joined in on the festivities and shaved her sh*t bald. I got to do the honors and I must say, not a bad job. She really does look good with no hair. I was gonna do mine but I think I'm gonna actually let it grow out. Maybe it'll be long enough for Ayanna to hook me up with some cornrows. If Yes can edge me up, I'll do it.


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