My first week of college went by like a breeze and it was interesting. No professor was like the next and each had their own unique personalities. Some I agreed with more than others but all in all it looks like a impacted semester. For starters, there will be a lot of writing in all my classes, even my dance class! A lot of reading and of course, exams, quizzes, and homework.
What I did not expect was to indulged almost immediately in my English class and excited for my lab class. Although I put on a disgusted face for the 3 hour long lab, yet, if this is the major I want to graduate in, then the lab is the perfect place to discover my likes, dislikes, strengths, and weaknesses. Already in my English class I was assigned reading that I began almost as soon as I exited the classroom. The reading were unexpected but there was an article my teacher had us read that I really enjoyed called: The Importance of Writing Badly by Bruce Ballenger. In this article he describes how students dread writing because they've always been reprimanded for horrible grammar and "awkward" sentences. Students become insecure of their writing abilities and have been molded to take hours and hours trying to write and perfect their essays for a teacher that will cover it in red ink. Ballenger focuses on the idea of allowing students to discover their own mind and have them think for themselves. In doing so, students will be able to write clear and concise reports on whatever topic is given. That's a practical idea and should be performed by several professors and teachers that have told me I suck.
On a different note, a gentleman came into work today and saw me working on my homework. He asked if I was in college and if he ever told me his method of studying. What he told me is something that I hope many college students read that I considered extremely helpful. Take 30 minutes every night to read ahead and familiarize yourself with the material for the next class lesson. By doing so, you will go into class with questions that will hopefully be answered and is more like review to understand the material thoroughly. Also, if any exam or quiz is approaching, take about an hour a day to study to avoid last minute cramming and thorough studying of all the lessons and notes without having skipped over or missed parts of the material. Lastly, do not be afraid to ask questions or meet with your professor because when the professor sees how much effort you're putting into the class, it wont go unrecognized. I consider all this a kind of college hack because everything is not to go against you or make your life miserable, instead, it's to help you get ahead without stressing you out. These few techniques will most likely get you farther than you think.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Homeless
Everyday that passes I find myself more appreciative of what I have. The clothes I wear, that I have a place to live and food to eat. Today, at work, I found a homeless man sleeping on a bench outside the office. He was wrapped in a comforter and looked sound asleep, so I did my best not to interrupt him during his slumber. Once I entered the office and began to set up, Monsignor was talking to me and I told him about the man sleeping outside. He informed me that the man comes and goes, but is no real harm. Normally he asks for food or drink and sits in the waiting area to stay warm. Monsignor showed me where we keep the food and what I can offer as drink.
The homeless man didn't come in for a while but of course he did come in at some point. It was heart wrenching, seeing a man like him act the way he did. I don't know his real story but Monsignor and another co-worker of mine explained that I shouldn't believe his stories because most of them are fables. This man, he was tall, light clue eyes, tanned skin but extremely dirty. Smudges of dirt all over his face and hands. He had a dirty blonde tint to his hair that I could not distinguish if it was dirt or his actual hair color. His nails had grown out and were caked in dirt. He had a beard that curled but didn't blow in the wind. He wore a red hoodie and a white T-shirt underneath. He wore some worn out jeans and I never really got a clear look of his shoes but at a glimpse, they were old running shoes.
As he sat in the waiting area, he would start to talk, mostly to himself and sometimes I wouldn't know whether he was talking to me or not. His voice would begin loud then fade and he's babble almost like a child. He'd get excited about something, laugh at his own words and continue talking. I tried to follow his stories, I really did, but I kept getting lost because he kept changing topics midway through. It was hard, I'll admit, to feel completely comfortable around him because growing up I'd witness a few things. When I was in middle school, there was a homeless man wandering near a burger joint. I was with my mom in the car and she always had a heart to help people in need, so she bought an extra burger and parked. She got out of the car and told me to stay put, so I twisted in my seat to watch her approach the man. Suddenly, as my mom showed him the burger, he slapped it out of her hands, yelled something and nearly knocked her over. She came rushing back to the car, got in, and drove off. Both of us were rattled and didn't digest what happened for a while. Since that moment, I never knew how to react to homeless people and so, I sat behind my desk the entire time, listened and attempted to decipher his words. There was a long, silent pause before he asked if he could have a cup of coffee, so I went to the kitchen and got him a cup full. He continued to sit for a while, babbling on and on.
The phone began to ring often so I was kept busy by work. After a while he came up to me and asked for more coffee so I got him another cup full. He walked outside and I sat, contemplating what I had seen before my eyes. I looked down at myself then at the reflection of myself through my blank phone screen. I'm lucky... I thought, to have clothes and a lot of them, to be able to decide what I wear, to see the shoes I had gotten myself for Christmas as a gift from my parents. My hair, clean and soft from being washed often. My hands and body, clean because of the water I use to shower, a house to sleep in instead of a bench and food, not just coffee. How lucky most of us are... how selfish we get... how blind we are. We live day to day, going to work, earning money, buying food, paying bills, and even complain about how "life is Hell!" We have no real idea until we lose it all, and even I can't imagine how it would be like, I've grown up well with material things, but I do my best to give back. I donate my clothes, if I money to spare I'll give it away, no questions asked, but I, like most people in the world, am selfish. I could try to fake it and continuously go to soup kitchens, and so on but I'm not going to lie to myself or the readers of my blog. Yes, I have days were I go out and help pass out clothing and those are the day were I sincerely want to help. I don't go to make myself feel mighty and good for helping, of course I feel better knowing I helped, but I feel better leaving that place knowing that there are people who can now wear clothes and shoes around that are practically new compared to their rundown everything.
Children, children that now have shoes to wear to school so they don't get bullied, shirts that are clean. Even children who get a chance to read books and keep them. I've never had to go through what they went to and that makes me lucky. It makes you lucky too. Take some time to reflect on what you have and the life you were given. If you were like me where you didn't really have to struggle then think about what kind of person you are. Now, think about a life where you had nothing. I'm not going to tell you to go out and start doing things for the community, that's up to you, but I just want you to take time out of this "Hell hole" to think how lucky you really are. You are lucky. Remember that and life is worth living.
The homeless man didn't come in for a while but of course he did come in at some point. It was heart wrenching, seeing a man like him act the way he did. I don't know his real story but Monsignor and another co-worker of mine explained that I shouldn't believe his stories because most of them are fables. This man, he was tall, light clue eyes, tanned skin but extremely dirty. Smudges of dirt all over his face and hands. He had a dirty blonde tint to his hair that I could not distinguish if it was dirt or his actual hair color. His nails had grown out and were caked in dirt. He had a beard that curled but didn't blow in the wind. He wore a red hoodie and a white T-shirt underneath. He wore some worn out jeans and I never really got a clear look of his shoes but at a glimpse, they were old running shoes.
As he sat in the waiting area, he would start to talk, mostly to himself and sometimes I wouldn't know whether he was talking to me or not. His voice would begin loud then fade and he's babble almost like a child. He'd get excited about something, laugh at his own words and continue talking. I tried to follow his stories, I really did, but I kept getting lost because he kept changing topics midway through. It was hard, I'll admit, to feel completely comfortable around him because growing up I'd witness a few things. When I was in middle school, there was a homeless man wandering near a burger joint. I was with my mom in the car and she always had a heart to help people in need, so she bought an extra burger and parked. She got out of the car and told me to stay put, so I twisted in my seat to watch her approach the man. Suddenly, as my mom showed him the burger, he slapped it out of her hands, yelled something and nearly knocked her over. She came rushing back to the car, got in, and drove off. Both of us were rattled and didn't digest what happened for a while. Since that moment, I never knew how to react to homeless people and so, I sat behind my desk the entire time, listened and attempted to decipher his words. There was a long, silent pause before he asked if he could have a cup of coffee, so I went to the kitchen and got him a cup full. He continued to sit for a while, babbling on and on.
The phone began to ring often so I was kept busy by work. After a while he came up to me and asked for more coffee so I got him another cup full. He walked outside and I sat, contemplating what I had seen before my eyes. I looked down at myself then at the reflection of myself through my blank phone screen. I'm lucky... I thought, to have clothes and a lot of them, to be able to decide what I wear, to see the shoes I had gotten myself for Christmas as a gift from my parents. My hair, clean and soft from being washed often. My hands and body, clean because of the water I use to shower, a house to sleep in instead of a bench and food, not just coffee. How lucky most of us are... how selfish we get... how blind we are. We live day to day, going to work, earning money, buying food, paying bills, and even complain about how "life is Hell!" We have no real idea until we lose it all, and even I can't imagine how it would be like, I've grown up well with material things, but I do my best to give back. I donate my clothes, if I money to spare I'll give it away, no questions asked, but I, like most people in the world, am selfish. I could try to fake it and continuously go to soup kitchens, and so on but I'm not going to lie to myself or the readers of my blog. Yes, I have days were I go out and help pass out clothing and those are the day were I sincerely want to help. I don't go to make myself feel mighty and good for helping, of course I feel better knowing I helped, but I feel better leaving that place knowing that there are people who can now wear clothes and shoes around that are practically new compared to their rundown everything.
Children, children that now have shoes to wear to school so they don't get bullied, shirts that are clean. Even children who get a chance to read books and keep them. I've never had to go through what they went to and that makes me lucky. It makes you lucky too. Take some time to reflect on what you have and the life you were given. If you were like me where you didn't really have to struggle then think about what kind of person you are. Now, think about a life where you had nothing. I'm not going to tell you to go out and start doing things for the community, that's up to you, but I just want you to take time out of this "Hell hole" to think how lucky you really are. You are lucky. Remember that and life is worth living.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Grateful
I see now that it has been a long period of time since I last posted on my blog. Hopefully, I have not lost my readers since I aim to add more posts. As a quick update, I have finished my first semester of College, working successfully at the church, and have gained a new appreciation of things.
My first semester in college, admittedly, passed slowly because I was not in classes that tested my limits. Of course, that's what I thought until I reached the end of the semester and began studying for finals. I got extremely confident and didn't push myself to study and showed up to the final, basically, unprepared. (Note: if you are in college or are about to start, and I'm sure you've heard this a lot, do not slack off.) My math final definitely took me by surprise and I did my best to get at least partial credit; if you are taking a final and aim for partial credit then that proves you did not study enough. My chemistry final seemed extremely easy to me and I felt successful. My English final was a presentation and since it was a class built up on theater majors, it was more of a performance.
By the end of finals I felt relieved that the semester was over and I looked forward to a new semester, but what was important was that I was now on vacation until mid-January. As a bonus, my mom's cousin, wife and son included, came to stay with us. I've mentioned this family prior when I had gone on my trip to Colombia, but this was a different experience. The kid was now older but still acted like a child. Regardless, they came to stay with us in our small condominium for about a month, if not more. It was an experience, I can say, showed me a new perspective on a few things.
For starters, parenting is not something that comes easy but there are a few things that are common sense. If your child is talking down to you at the age of 10 this means that the child is starting down the path of being ungrateful and spoiled. Another indicator is when the child gets a large array of gifts but still asks, begs, and cries for more. At the age of 10, a child should know how to get on a swing and is fearless about going down a slide. In addition, they should have so much energy that all they want to do is go outside and run around. I'm not a parent, but I hope to be one day and I learned that I do not want my kid to think that he/she is better than those below their status. I see my mom's cousin and his wife approaching these situations differently and that's saddening; they've lost control and don't know how to fix it.
I'm not here to say that they are terrible parents, they're not, but it's hard to see them struggle to keep control of their son. They're pleasant individuals and fun to be around, the kid has his moments where I enjoy his company, and in the end, they are family and I love my family, usually. During they're stay here, I began to realize how lucky I am to be living here in the United States. Granted, I don't have an extremely well paying job but I have a job, nonetheless, and with that job I earn money for gas and little things that I want to buy. On top of that, I live in a house with my parents who love me and want me to succeed. I live in a house that is in a safe area and I don't have to worry about getting fed. Although the family who came to visit is better off than most people in Colombia I keep in mind that the rest of our family has worked day to day just trying to earn enough to live under a roof. I am grateful for everything I have and more. I am grateful that I can get myself leisurely things like Starbucks or now, a laptop. When I look at kids today, I see how easy it is for them to think that whatever they want is easily given to them because they're parents buy it, but what they don't register is that mom and dad work hard everyday for countless hours just to earn money to be able to afford what they child wishes to have because a child's happiness is what counts. May I just warn parents that giving a child whatever they want without having them earn it is a dangerous decision because they could potentially grow up spoiled and with lack of motivation.
My current job at the church has made me very appreciative because it's a job that I enjoy, being able to communicate with people over the phone or in person and that constant interaction has allowed me to make new friends and gain experience. I've gotten to the point where I am no longer afraid to confront people and talk to them. Communication is highly important in all aspects, work, relationships, families, and so on. If there is a lack in communication in any of these areas, some things just don't work out.
Speaking of relationships, if you've ever been interested in my personal life, more than I've already told, yes, I am with Jacob and in just three short months it will mark a year (not to the day) that we've been together. Jacob has taught me so much about myself that I didn't know and I can be myself around him no matter what. We have long, meaningful conversations, and can talk about anything. We enjoy doing things that cost nothing at all and that makes me happy. He makes me laugh and cry and act like a complete lunatic but by the end of the day, we are happy and in love. This is the start of a new year and I hope to change myself for the better. If you're the kind of person who makes new year's resolutions, aim to keep them, because I hope I will. If I can do it, of course you can do it!
My first semester in college, admittedly, passed slowly because I was not in classes that tested my limits. Of course, that's what I thought until I reached the end of the semester and began studying for finals. I got extremely confident and didn't push myself to study and showed up to the final, basically, unprepared. (Note: if you are in college or are about to start, and I'm sure you've heard this a lot, do not slack off.) My math final definitely took me by surprise and I did my best to get at least partial credit; if you are taking a final and aim for partial credit then that proves you did not study enough. My chemistry final seemed extremely easy to me and I felt successful. My English final was a presentation and since it was a class built up on theater majors, it was more of a performance.
By the end of finals I felt relieved that the semester was over and I looked forward to a new semester, but what was important was that I was now on vacation until mid-January. As a bonus, my mom's cousin, wife and son included, came to stay with us. I've mentioned this family prior when I had gone on my trip to Colombia, but this was a different experience. The kid was now older but still acted like a child. Regardless, they came to stay with us in our small condominium for about a month, if not more. It was an experience, I can say, showed me a new perspective on a few things.
For starters, parenting is not something that comes easy but there are a few things that are common sense. If your child is talking down to you at the age of 10 this means that the child is starting down the path of being ungrateful and spoiled. Another indicator is when the child gets a large array of gifts but still asks, begs, and cries for more. At the age of 10, a child should know how to get on a swing and is fearless about going down a slide. In addition, they should have so much energy that all they want to do is go outside and run around. I'm not a parent, but I hope to be one day and I learned that I do not want my kid to think that he/she is better than those below their status. I see my mom's cousin and his wife approaching these situations differently and that's saddening; they've lost control and don't know how to fix it.
I'm not here to say that they are terrible parents, they're not, but it's hard to see them struggle to keep control of their son. They're pleasant individuals and fun to be around, the kid has his moments where I enjoy his company, and in the end, they are family and I love my family, usually. During they're stay here, I began to realize how lucky I am to be living here in the United States. Granted, I don't have an extremely well paying job but I have a job, nonetheless, and with that job I earn money for gas and little things that I want to buy. On top of that, I live in a house with my parents who love me and want me to succeed. I live in a house that is in a safe area and I don't have to worry about getting fed. Although the family who came to visit is better off than most people in Colombia I keep in mind that the rest of our family has worked day to day just trying to earn enough to live under a roof. I am grateful for everything I have and more. I am grateful that I can get myself leisurely things like Starbucks or now, a laptop. When I look at kids today, I see how easy it is for them to think that whatever they want is easily given to them because they're parents buy it, but what they don't register is that mom and dad work hard everyday for countless hours just to earn money to be able to afford what they child wishes to have because a child's happiness is what counts. May I just warn parents that giving a child whatever they want without having them earn it is a dangerous decision because they could potentially grow up spoiled and with lack of motivation.
My current job at the church has made me very appreciative because it's a job that I enjoy, being able to communicate with people over the phone or in person and that constant interaction has allowed me to make new friends and gain experience. I've gotten to the point where I am no longer afraid to confront people and talk to them. Communication is highly important in all aspects, work, relationships, families, and so on. If there is a lack in communication in any of these areas, some things just don't work out.
Speaking of relationships, if you've ever been interested in my personal life, more than I've already told, yes, I am with Jacob and in just three short months it will mark a year (not to the day) that we've been together. Jacob has taught me so much about myself that I didn't know and I can be myself around him no matter what. We have long, meaningful conversations, and can talk about anything. We enjoy doing things that cost nothing at all and that makes me happy. He makes me laugh and cry and act like a complete lunatic but by the end of the day, we are happy and in love. This is the start of a new year and I hope to change myself for the better. If you're the kind of person who makes new year's resolutions, aim to keep them, because I hope I will. If I can do it, of course you can do it!
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