Once in a Lifetime

This has been a really interesting year. Also a really weird year. I have done so much new things this year than any other semester. Including creating a blog. Doing a blog is something that I would have though I will never do. But then again I did one for my literature class where we actually used it to post reflections about things the professor told us to watch or read. I have never seen how a blog is done or what you would write about them. Actually I may still need help on what a blog should look like because right now my blog doesn’t say much it’s too simple and I need it to say something. Something about me or what I like. I will probably get help with that. But basically I will probably won’t use this blog again.

I won’t use it mostly because I don’t like to write and have it put on a post or to publish it. Every time I write something is for a class so I don’t write for fun even though some writing exercises I enjoy them but still. This writing exercise about making the blog it wasn’t that I liked it but I didn’t hate it either, it was more on a middle. I like them because they were short and also it made you think about those things we wrote about and how we felt about those things. The thing I didn’t like much is that we started doing it with a lot of things that it may have been the same. But either way it was an experience that I would remember because it was something that I did, something I did that I will think of never doing it. To sum it up it was a once in a lifetime thing.

A Fun Experience

This year, this semester was actually really interesting for all of its new experiences for me. Having a variety of new classes has been challenging because they have been classes that I haven’t taken them. Also by the different activities. Actually in one class we were assigned to be in a group during the whole semester and work together with the same people for the semester. This experience was really different because I have never been in an exercise like this that consisted of working together with the same people. It also was fun for the fact that we like connected quickly and we worked together really nice and we really laugh a lot in some times. Some days you could see everyone concentrated quiet doing their job or what they supposed to do and then you could see us, our group Six degrees of separation, like doing what we supposed to do but at the same time laughing making jokes. Having a great time while we were working. That was really essential for me because it made everything easier to pass.

We worked really well together and we even made a group on the app “What’s app” so we could communicate better and also to organize better our work distribution. It may have also help for reminders. We did some assignments but the one I liked most of all them was the first assignment we did as a group. I liked it most because it was the easiest one as being the first one but at the same time I liked it because we connected as a group and worked rather well. That assignment was actually to find comments of tourists or comments about Puerto Rico and if people said bad things.

Tourist for a Night

In class we were assigned to be a tourist for only a day. We have to go to a place and act as if we were tourists. We had to talk in English and actually look like it. It was a great, weird, hard and funny experience that I will remember for a lot of things that I had to do and that happen during. It was a little hard for me because I don’t usually talk in English out of the classroom and that I had to speak it to people it was hard, it was challenging. I also had to dress up more like a tourist but in that case it was more fun because I actually dressed up as a wealthy young man. A little weird for the fact that I had to pretend for a while someone that I was making up. Even though it was also funny for all the things that I actually made up also if they had buy it, all of it of course.

            Now, I couldn’t go that far because I had to work in a promotion for Volvo. I went to a hotel in Dorado Beach, a really expensive hotel. That’s one of the reasons that I dressed up really nice. I actually was in a complete suit with a gold watch from my father and glasses in a Volvo so I looked like I had money. That’s actually helped me with the made up personality. I arrived at the hotel and went to the lobby and ask if they could give me a tour of the hotel because I was looking a place to stay for the fact that I had just arrive from New York. And they gave me the tour in a golf cart, finally I gave a twenty dollar tip and went to work.

Twists of Life

Hard-drinking journalist Paul Kemp takes a job at a besieged newspaper in San Juan, Puerto Rico. His volatile editor, Lotterman, assigns him to tourist pieces and horoscopes, but promises more. Paul rooms with Sala, an aging and equally alcoholic reporter, in a rundown flat. Sanderson, a wealthy entrepreneur, hires Paul to flack for a group of investors who plan to buy an island near the capital and build a resort. Sanderson's girl-friend, the beguiling Chenault, bats her eyes at Paul. His loyalties face challenges when he and Sala get in trouble with locals, when a Carnival dance enrages Sanderson, and when the paper hits the skids. The next day, Chenault is gone, and Sanderson tells Kemp that he blew it. Kemp works on a newspaper story. Lotterman returns, but won't publish Kemp's story. . Chenault shows up at Kemp's place, and Sanderson disowns her. Sanderson withdraws his bail, and Kemp and Sala are wanted. Moberg also tells them that Lotterman has closed the paper. Kemp decides to print a last issue, telling the truth about Lotterman and Sanderson, as well as the stories Lotterman declined. To gain money to print the last edition, Kemp, Sala, and Moberg place a big cockfighting bet. Kemp continues his quest, stealing Sanderson's boat. Kemp made it back to New York, married Chenault, and became a successful journalist.

            Paul Kemp obviously had some kind of perspective of Puerto Rico which it had to change thanks to his experiences since he got to the island and when he left. It’s like almost everyone who goes to a new place where they have their own perspective but then it changes as they get to know this new place as tourists. It is something that happens a lot I even had this problem.

On John Cooper

The first chapter is called “Teaching”, were the author tells his experience in the university teaching English. He like tells himself about the teaching in Puerto Rico. Where he could tell that students have serious problems with English at the University. John Cooper decides to go straight to the problem. The university is the first center of education for any student. He understands that here begins the problem, and decides to give a solution to the problem. So he begun to propose a new class schedule where students could learn the language. The second chapter is called, “Helping”. Jim Cooper narrates that he saw a wrong behavior in the students. The students copied and when the professor claimed to them they answered, “But I’m just trying to help him, he is my friend", even if it was a test they “helped” so their partner would take good grade. But the problem begins when the student is in school. Where the professor tell to the students that if they have any questions, they can look at the test of the other.

            All he is saying is that we are not giving a good enough importance to the education of the English language. Also that problem has come since way back on the schools, were the schools are not enforcing the language. They are not putting that much importance to it. Then there are the privates’ schools were they put more importance to the English language but the problem is that they are too much expensive and a big majorities stay without that base of knowledge. Those years in school are most important because of that, it helps people to understand more and to be more intellectual for their well-being. Also for their whole life in their professional careers in the future.

First Thing in the Afternoom

In this semester I have written a lot of journals. With different circumstances but not as this past one. Writing a journal right after waking up isn’t easy, well for me. It was difficult just for being awake really early morning. Actually not so morning because I woke up at two of the afternoon. So I was a little disoriented because of sleeping too much. But still I started to write about a dream I had. At first it was difficult just because I wasn’t that awake.

            At first the dream seemed really weird even for me. But then as I continued writing it make more sense every time. It was like scenes come to my mind the more I write. I started to remember parts of the dream that I though they weren’t connected but then I realize that they were part of it. Everything I remember were one way or another connected to the main point. The process of writing everything now that I think about it was funny. It was funny because I remember myself like falling asleep while I was writing. Actually at the very beginning I fell asleep on top of the notebook in the bed. That’s another thing I wrote it on my bedroom in my bed. So it was something that it was going to happen at some point. But beside that nothing else happen. I have never done something like this before and it was fun because not always we remember our dreams or that we even dream about something. So this writing exercise is good to remember things that you want to and also to help someone to start making a dream journal or even a dream diary to take record of every dream that they have now or even old

Journal Experience

          This journal was like a diary, well that’s what a journal is. A journal that helps to store our ideas and stories. To store our memories that we want to write. Also it helps to control our ideas and organize them while writing. Not only that it helped us, well to me, to have something to tell everything. To have like someone that could hear everything I said. To have someone to talk, even the things that I usually don’t talk about with my best friends. On other things it have help me on one of the most important for me it’s on my one development to write faster. Write faster on essays and also to write clearer and with more ideas. It have been a great exercise for it have helped me to also see writing exercises easier.

            My experience on the journal exercise, well it have been amazing. I actually got to be more like addictive to it. For almost half of September I started to write for every day and I don’t know why. It’s that I wanted to write for every day. I had something to write for anything that I experience through the day. I kept on doing it until I was doing so for every day. Sometimes I had a lot to say for one day and sometimes I had less. That way I could even categorize my days. I started to see what days were better than others. I started to enjoy more and more the writing in my journal. It have been a great experience were it helped me a lot in a lot of ways like I have already said. For its better improvements on my writing and organization of ideas I am going to take in mind to continue to write. Maybe not every day but I will try to continue. It will all depend on my free time. To start making it on a habit and not lose the customs of writing what happen on the day.

Mixtures of Identities

            Jamaica Kincaid is an Antiguan-American novelist. She was born on May 25, 1949 in Antigua. A small island that is around St. John. Jamaica Kincaid at the present time lives in North Bennington, Vermont during the summers. Also during the academic year she teaches at the Claremont Mckenna College in Claremont, California. Also she left Antigua when she was still young so her memories of Antigua were from a long time and in all that time Antigua could have change. If Antigua changed then is like losing a little of your identity. Let me explain, it’s your identity at first because it’s your home since you were little but if It change then is like changing a little your identity including if you left that place since you were little. In this two chapters of “A small place” she talks of tourist and how they see Antigua and criticize it. But also it talks of identity and how her identity changes for all the changes to the island.

            The identity of someone can be change by not normally embrace it. For the part of Jamaica Kincaid her identity had a change because as she left young she founded another home. By getting another home it’s like adding to your identity or even changing it. It all depends on the person and how the adapt to that new place. If I’m not mistaken Jamaica Kincaid actually says that her identity changes. Jamaica Kincaid tells that by the changes that were happening to the island of Antigua that she was not seeing the Antigua she left. They were so many changes that it look so different that she barely recognize it. By giving that statement she is telling that her home changed to much foe her and by doing so it messes up her whole identity.

Travelers/Tourists

In the first chapter of “A small place” Jamaica Kincaid describes Antigua, were she was born. Kincaid describes the place as if you were arriving at first by plane as a tourist. It’s actually outstanding because we have learn that the tourists, well most of them, have different way of seeing things when they are on a new place. Especially when some tourists start to criticize for just being there such a short time living. That’s the bad thing about tourists, they tend to compare everything to their own home. That’s a tendency that they have and by doing that it narrows their minds to maybe explore newer things or cultures.

            This chapter Jamaica Kincaid gives examples on what tourists can say when they are in a new place for them. It’s like our discussion in class were we have to find comments on what people say about Puerto Rico and how they see it. In my behalf I found some negative comments about Puerto Rico that some famous or known people had said. Even though they actually had there apologizes after the comments they did. So even though they did the bad comments they actually apologize but after the comments were publish. So it can be look on both sides. On the first chapter we see how Jamaica Kincaid illustrates the tourists and their comments. Maybe she wrote it like that to open the eyes of people so that they think it twice before making a comment. Maybe it’s because she left Antigua and she is writing since she left and when she came back and how she felt when she arrived. Either way it was a nice thing to write because as I say earlier it opens the minds of other people or tourists to a better way.

My thoughts

Puerto Rico is a big island for us puertorricans but small for others who have lived in a country or state. Puerto Rico for us is like our identity, it’s what we are. Puerto Rico with its tourism attractions, its variety of beaches and with our all-around culture. Puerto Rico is mainly known for its beaches were we have one of the best beaches of the world. It’s located on Culebra called Flamenco. Tourists have commented some nice things that when I read them it make me feel proud for it. I have seen positive and negative comments all around the internet were some say that Puerto Rico is not a good place to live in but only to visit for a while. Those comments are the one that really bothers me because they have been here maybe for a week or so and they say that isn’t a good place to live like f they have lived here there whole entire life. I have read other comments that Puerto Rico isn’t a safe place either that it occurs a lot of crime but crime happens in every place in the world no matter where it is. I have known people that change their minds by the comments other people make about Puerto Rico. That’s like changing your whole identity, changing who you are and your culture. I always say that no matter what people say about the place I am from I won’t change my mind or thoughts about it.  I will always say that Puerto Rico is the best place there is no matter what. I won’t change my identity for nothing because saying bad things about Puerto Rico is like changing who I am.

Dead poets society reflection

In the movie Dead Poets Society we see a lot of struggles by the students on their own internal and external journeys. The movie portrays how some students had it and how the English teacher Mr. Keating tried to liberate them. To let them choose their own paths in life and to stand up for themselves. Along the movie he helped his class but mostly two of them, Todd and Neil. Todd was a shy student were he didn’t speak or said what was on his mind. He thought that his saying wasn’t valuable or that worth something. At one point in the movie Mr. Keating help him realize that he had it in him the whole time by doing an exercise which push Todd to improvise a poem in front of the class. At first Todd was terrified at doing such exercise but then everything got its flow and he beat his fear. Now there was another student Neil which he had it though. With Mr. Keating`s class he realize what he wanted to do in his life. Neil realize that he wanted to be an actor. His internal journey was on wanting to become an actor and he even got on auditions for a play and got the leader role on it. He had a problem and it was that his dad didn’t want him to be an actor but a doctor. That`s where the external journey comes in on his dad wanting something else in Neil`s life and not wanting to understand Neil`s passion or thoughts. With that struggle that Neil had he didn’t hesitated and committed suicide. In my opinion it was something a little too tragic of an action to do but there had been cases of desperation that end up just like that. It could have ended like Neil running away or even trying to make Mr. Perry understand better his son`s feelings.

A little about me..

I have come to be what I am for my own experiences in life. My experience have molded my personality and my way acting around people. Some people say that parents mold their children but in actuality they mold themselves and parents do help but only help. It actually depends on the person. For myself it depends more on my experience even though I am still molding what and how I am. But first to talk about me, I am someone you can consider shy at first. Then with time I can loosen up more. I am a sport guy, I like to play sports even though I don’t play them often but the sport that I like the most is basketball. My dad when I was little try to make me a baseball player but I felt in love with basketball. Right now I have change more since I started the university but for a better me, a more active me around people. I like to eat a lot and that explains my appearance but also I always like to do exercise and that’s why I may have a little form. I also like to drink and a lot, that isn’t such a good thing but I started at eight grade and for my big body I endure more. I started to take a liking to it but right now haven’t drank that much. I watch television but mostly I like more to watch series. I like Superman also, his like my favorite superhero. Even more when I saw the series “Smallville” which is how superman got to be superman, his journeys through high school and college and is really interesting. I want to become a doctor but not an ordinary doctor an orthopedic one so then to become a sport medicine doctor which is my top goal since I was a child and it interest me for my own experiences injuries that I have had during the years. That’s me a shy organized guy that likes sports, love to eat and that wants to be a sport medicine doctor.

Reflection on "Running Brave" and Identity

The identity of someone is one of the most important aspects in our life. Identity is the fact of being whom or what a person or even a thing is. Referring to an essay from Peter Roberts called “Identity”, a person identity can be found on heritage, language, and nationality, by its home town or even by its color. Not knowing your identity is like not knowing yourself. If you lose your identity then you are forgetting who you are and what you like. By having this situation, of losing your identity, then you must do whatever it takes to find yourself again even if you had to quit everything you’re doing because the identity I yourself. The real one inside, the one that we as people are known for. In the movie “Running Brave” we can detect that Billy Mills had an identity crisis were for some point he lose himself.

              In the movie Billy Mills loves to run, it’s his passion and who he is. By running he felted free and with no worries he would run and forge everything else except for running. In the film after he won some matches his coach said to him to always since the start to be first. The coach was trying to change his style of running at the same time his identity. After Billy realize that he wasn’t himself anymore he did everything to find himself again. He disappeared from the university and the team to come back home. He came back to find himself to be him. Also to find the love on running again. It was a hard journey because in the time he was in his hometown his brother shoot himself and died but at the end he founded himself also the love to run. Then he accomplished his long time goal to run at the Olympics but not only to run but to break a record.

Reflection on Billy Mills and "Running Brave"

 

          The movie “Running Brave” is about the journey of cross country runner Billy Mills. The movie illustrates the hard times he had during his races, his teammates and in life. The movie starts at a cross country competition where Billy Mills wins it with ease. Then a scout from Kansas University got interested with his performance but at first he stumbles at making a decision to recruit him but Billy talks with him and convince him. He lived with his brothers and uncle because his father died when he was young. Billy suffered some name calling from teammates, which he didn’t like, and also a racist confrontation with a security guard from the campus. His coach push him to get and accomplish his top goal. He won the 1964 ten thousand meters race from the Olympic Games at Tokyo with a world breaking time of twenty eight minutes and twenty seconds.

            At his journey through getting his dream he experienced some external problems and also internal. The external problems consisted on some events and comments from people that were important at his career. For example, when the scout, coach, said that he didn’t wanted him at his team for the bad experienced he had with Indian runners. He said that they always quit on him and were lazy. After those comments Billy said that he wasn’t a quitter and the coach recruited him. Another example is when later on he didn’t make the cut for the first time he tried out for the Olympic Games team. But then he found himself and make the cut for the next Olympics Games team and won the race. The internal problems consisted more on the verbal names they did for example when one of his teammates called him chief after a practice then after a race, his first race, tell him if he won the race for the team or for the tribe after that comment Billy lost it and struck him. In other words he had similar problems but all of them he surpass them and dominate them. That didn’t stop him at achieving his goal his dream.