Blog Refletion-The end of the journey

All right, I'm doing this early because it's finals week and I don't want to either forget about it or be so overloaded with work and studies that my brain will be forced to shut down. Aside from that, as all things new that I experience through this university this blog journal was very strange. A place designed by me for others to see. They can see my thoughts and opinions on topics that I might never discuss with others. The whole blog construction and design thing is quite challenging and a little embarrassing but there is a certain anonymity to it, even though they can read about who I am on the front page, that allows for it to feel less discomforting. It was strange and mesmerizing how people from other countries would find my blog, for what reason I don't know, but it still made me curious what their purpose for visiting was and how the happen to stumble upon it.The comments everyone left were very nice. So, much obliged to everyone on the team for leaving such ego lifting messages. I tried using the methods recommended to leave comments and did use every one of them at least once on the older post but, I have to admit they were different to what I'm usually accustomed to when commenting on comments. I found other journals to have very creative tittles, pictures and ideas and the format was fairly easy to read, so I had little to no problem reading feedback. Nonetheless, I did feel like I was intruding into others privacy when reading their blogs, so I felt a bit embarrassed to criticize and then leave a comment on a blog post. Personally, if I were to do a blog I would like to put my heart and soul into it and since I feel I don't have the time to maintain one, I would consider making one only if I have topics to write about that interest me and if I feel I have the time all while retaining my anonymity. Overall, it was a very interesting experience and it definitely keeps one busy and makes you learn a little more about how to use your computer and help me improve my typing skills.

Here are some corny pictures with messages that I like:

and here's some journey music:

The Geography of Bliss- Eric Weiner - Switzerland

In this chapter of The Geography of Bliss the author writes about his search for happiness and what makes people happy in Switzerland. He describes the Swiss as neutral, punctual, clean, serious and humorless. Clean toilets and on time trains make them happy or at the very least contempt. They also have a deep connection with nature, they vote on almost everything reflecting their successful government style. They love and regularly eat chocolate which is found to contain chemicals that b ring happiness. Finally they enjoy, promote and follow rules and reject any form of envy. The way he describes the Swiss makes them sound like the perfect human being and example other countries and people. Nonetheless, he is still torn and mystified as to why they describe themselves as happy but seem, in his eyes, so boring and bland. On the other hand, he ends up enjoying the peaceful and punctual Swiss lifestyle but, ends up recognizing that aside from their mutual love of chocolate they have nothing else in common. In the end the author feels that while the Swiss are not happy they are contempt in their way of life. Personally, I find some of the Swiss rules as excessive, such as not allowing to flush the toilet after 10 pm, but for the most part I appreciate and am quite frankly down right amazed by how well they run their country despite it having its imperfections. I think that to better understand the Swiss we should look at their history and maybe that will explain their attitude towards life and happiness. Happiness is a fleeting feeling that can be either hard to attain or caused by the simplest of actions. It is my belief that since everyone is different and their views and ways of attaining happiness is different then, there are an infinite amount of ways by which everyone can attain happiness.

This video is a musical journey through Switzerland it was really cool, check it out if you like:

Chapter 7 Teaching- Jim Cooper- Reflection

This chapter focuses on the problem of teaching English in both Puerto Rican universities and public schools. It describes such an issue as one that is almost impossible to resolve no matter what you do and is a problem that is manipulated by the teachers and professors higher ups or bosses or the teachers stubbornness and ignorance as well. Now a days we have improved but we still have a lot of work to do. I say this because, as I write this any word that is spelled incorrectly word and the computer fix it for me meaning I'm not learning how to properly write the word and thus failing at learning English. My experience with English teaching revolved around a private catholic school. The school had good teachers, they were usually the strictest of all the teachers in school. They were all women who were either raised in the states but were born and had returned to Puerto Rico or were fluent in English because they were taught well, I guess. I was personally taught the basic words of English by my mom: colors, numbers, the alphabet, animals, etc. The rest I learned by my own reading books and watching English movies and T.V. shows. Then school help fill in the rest of the gaps but by then I knew the basic rules and I have always had decent pronunciation, at least that is what they tell me both at home in school and in University. Anyways, it seems like teaching English in the 50's was a huge struggle in Puerto Rico and I imagine it can be stressing to try and teach English and not have the materials and the skills to do so, not to mention that some students aren't even willing to learn. It was interesting to see how and English teacher form the states viewed the state of education in the island and it funny how he pointed out a lot of the problems that we still face today and some people don't know or outright deny they exist.

This 50's videos are weird to watch now, but I thought it would be educational. It's about discipline in school and since the writing took place in the 50's..:

"Life is a trip"- Vietnam chapter- Reflection

The chapter of Vietnam in the reading Life is a trip dealt with the topic of the American war in Vietnam and the topic of forgiveness. It was interesting to read and learn about a war that even reached the island of Puerto Rico. I've never met anyone who came from that specific war, so it was interesting to learn a little of what transpired there. I was surprised to read that the Vietnamese the author encountered had forgiven the U.S. and as they put it "After the war, I hated anything with an American trademark. Now I like it. During the war, we saw distorted caricatures of bloodthirsty Americans in propaganda. Now when I meet Americans, I think they are so handsome and friendly." To see such a dramatic change in attitude is surprising. Since I've never been to war it is difficult for me to know what soldiers or civilians at wars feel and experience. Nonetheless, I hear so many stories of the horrible things that happen at war and they fill me with disgust and anger. I don't know if I would be able to forgive another country if they hurt people I love. It is incredible to see how much war can change someone and make them see thing in a new light for example when Cuan, an ex-guerrilla Viet-Con fighter said: "Forget the past-I live in the present. After what I went through, I never take anything for granted. I appreciate every little thing and each moment. I forgave the soldiers a long time ago". I think it takes great courage and maturity to say something like that and shows how much he has grown as a person. When talking about anger and forgiveness the author talks with an old man who participated in the war, he said: "I was eaten up by anger when I was younger. So I spent many years meditating about anger and whom I was angry at" There was no difference between the american soldiers and me. We were both caught up in a situation and circumstances." This shows us that time heals all wounds in one way or another and that age also plays apart, because both allow you to grow, mature and reflect and think about a subject in new ways. The words and experiences the author had in Vietnam also changed them allowing them to overcome some of their own personal anger and grow as a person. Over all, it was a reading that made you question yourself, would you be able to forgive and move on or would you get stuck in resentment and anger forever?

Vietnamese photos:




Vietnam War photos:

Vietnamese music:

Reflection on the 8th Annual Student Research and Writing Conference

As I mentioned before on a previous blog, I feel uncomfortable in social events, big or small, so it is no surprise that I felt extremely awkward and nervous in this event. On top of that, I had a panel along with four other students, scheduled for 1 pm on the topic of Carl Jung and his journal Memories, Dreams, Reflections. The panel was basically a resumed amalgamation of the power point presentations we gave in English Literature class and featured a moderator and four panelist consisting of one member from each group that gave a presentation that day in class. The power point showed quotes, points of interest and pictures of Carl Jung's journeys in many different places and countries. The panel was divided into 4 sections in total. First, we talked about North Africa and the USA; then I talked about Kenya and Uganda; next, we talked about India and last but not least we talked about Ravenna, Italy. At the end of the presentation we answered questions from the audience. It was about half an hour long so we each has 5 minutes to present our points and the last five were reserved for questions. This event made me really nervous, I have never done anything of the sort before. I was super uncomfortable at first and kept revising all my notes. Once the panel started and it was my turn to speak I was nervous but, as time went on I grew more comfortable in the stage. Nonetheless because of my inexperience with the microphone I keep looking to the side and my voice kept changing so it sounded distorted and all over the place. I also was to ashamed to look at the audience while I gave my part of the panel but, was totally fine doing it when others were speaking and at the questions segment. However, everyone did their best and I think the panel went smoothly. So congrats to the co hosts for their great job and I'm glad that is over with. That was not the only thing I saw at the conference. I also saw Marileyda Hernandez, a fellow classmate and co host, sing live on stage in the conference. She sang the song Stone Cold by Demi Lovato. Her singing was quite lovely to hear and nice distraction from the stress I felt. I also saw another panel from a different group which consisted of interpretive dance and music arranged by the students themselves. They did a good job and were really confident in the message they expressed to the audience. Although, one of them spoke their line really loudly behind my seat so I got scarred and almost jumped from my seat. Also, a side note, the night before the event I dream I arrived at the conference in my pajamas, probably my mind showing me how nervous I was. Other than that, the small portion I saw of the conference was enjoyable and I hope other people had fun and did a good job at their presentations.

Tourist for a day-ENGL-3135-005

The task consisted, as the title says, to disguise oneself and become a tourist on my very own country. I decided to wear some lose clothes, consisting of a sleeveless shirt and some short pants as well as a backpack where I carried all my belongings. The places I visited were all around my hometown of Quebradillas. First, I went to the park of "El Merendero" were I walked through the serpentine asphalt roads that pierced between the trees of a cliff overlooking the sea. I quitely took some photos and video of the area and then went on a hike through the edge of the cliff which lead down to the shore where the river "Guajataca" connected with the sea. Later, I proceeded to walk through an old tunnel where a train used to pass by called "El túnel de Guajataca" it connects straight to the beach in the neighboring municipality of Isabela. I headed back and went straight to buy a "piragua" cause I was very thirsty and then went to eat lunch at a nearby restaurant called "La Quebrada". Next, I went to a placed called "Monte el Calvario" which had a nice view of the land, I could even see the sea from up the mountain. Then, I went to the local stadium and exercised in the nearby running track. Finally, I visited the water park in the town and drank some frappe and went home to rest. The overall trip was fun and relaxing. I enjoyed the sights and food, staying quiet all the way. Nobody looked at me funny since there where some tourist other than me. We all seemed to blend in and did not bother each other. I did get a sunburn, cause I never get out of the house and wear short sleeved shirts, but it was still an enjoyable experience to visit my home town's natural, historic and recreational sites.

ENGL-3135-001 Class journal blog and graphs: "A Journey through my Journal Journeys"

I found the Life journal to be an entertaining and interesting experience. I've always wanted to have a diary but never had the motivation to do one, so I felt that this was a good approximation to that. At first it was a little difficult to comply with all the anti-rules but, once you start to get the hang of it and let go it was easy to follow the rules and have an enjoyable writing experience. Like I said in class, writing in the journal is extremely similar to drawing for me, because I draw almost every single day and it's a place for reflection, relaxation and self-expression for me, that is what the journal felt to me. It was somewhat relaxing to forget about the external world and only focus on the task at hand which is to write. Since I spent a lot of my time alone, it's not that weird to me to listen to my thoughts and to record them on paper. It's similar to having a one sided conversation with oneself. I never found myself with a reason to stop writing and jump from one topic to the next without caring if the previous topic was unfinished. Overall, the journal entries were overall fun and relaxing to me. The life compass was a unique way to track one's mood throughout the week. I enjoyed drawing in the circle and considered it a challenge to see what I could draw inside or outside it. My mood were fairly consistent throughout the weeks and months and I felt more connected to the mental side of the compass than to any of the others. Concerning the data, overall I wrote 42 journal entries and 29 life compasses. The life compasses totaled for 220 points, 41 of these were from spiritual (S), 65 were from mental (M), 54 were from emotion (E) and 60 from physical (P). My average was 8 for compass number total. Spiritual had the most one's, physical had the most two's and mental had the most three's. I had a total of one five, three sixes, eight sevens, twelve eights and five nines. The most repeated number in each of the life compasses parts was 2. Up next is a graph illustrating the compass total per day written:

Thoughts on "A Small Place" by Jamaica Kincaid

In chapter one of Jamaica Kincaid's A Small Place the author talks about her homeland Antigua and the tourist that visit the island. Kincaid describes the problems that modern day Antigua suffers from. There is corruption, evidenced by the control of the government of the only two car dealerships in the country and the fact that the banks promote and overall make more accessible loans to buy cars than loans to buy houses. The people that live in the most luxurious houses in the island are either members of the government, drug sellers or women that seduce the members of the government o attain power. Corruption is also evidenced by the fact that there was once a scandal of people obtaining illegal licences without having passed their driving test. We see problems in the conservation of drinkable water, which is a scarce resource in Antigua because it does not usually rain there. There is a lack of facilities such as hospitals who's three doctors neither Antigua's people or its government trust. Schools also lack proper bathrooms having only some latrines outside the school also, the library in the island was destroyed by an earthquake and never repaired. We see poverty as people have "better" cars than they have houses. The cars they use require a gasoline that is not even available to the people of the island. Roads are small and are not maintained and water is not disposed of properly. All of this shows that there is a problem of inequality and government abandonment in the island. On the topic of the tourist the author shows great distaste toward them, criticizing and belittling them. She describes the tourist as selfish, and naive for they consider Antigua as exotic and a refreshing change of pace, despite of the many problems the country faces, only because they get to leave the island and do not really experience what it is like to live there day after day. Kincaid also says that while the tourist may find the natives strange the natives find the tourist even stranger. Natives even mock tourist for the way the talk and act. Natives also envy the tourist for they have enough resources to escape from their "boring" everyday life spent in comfortable modern cities while they are stuck in poverty in their country unable to leave.

In chapter two of A Small Place the author speaks of  the Antigua of the past when she was little before it was freed form colonization. That old Antigua was also corrupted evidenced by the banks that were owned by the previous slave traders. There was racism toward the people of Antigua by immigrants, such as the Americans that excluded black people form entering their establishment; the dentist who demanded his wife too see his patients before him so she could clean them; and the teacher from North Ireland which compared Jamaica and here fellow classmates with monkeys on top of trees.The people of the island were, and still are, heavily influenced by English culture, customs and beliefs. They celebrated English customs without knowing why, for example queen Victoria's birthday. The English controlled what Antigua could see and what they could interact with. Furthermore, the author outright states the hate she bares to people from countries that have or are still colonizing. She expresses frustration with them when they ask why she is still mad. She feels that the British took her people culture, traditions language and freedom and imposed theirs, as well as that they were mistreated by them. The author hates how they still view the colonized as inferior and how they expect them to accept their beliefs even after the bad experiences they had with the colonizing country.

This reading relates with Puerto Rico in that both Antigua and Puerto Rico were colonized, we still are however. Their is corruption and an abusive government in both islands and we both have distaste for foreigners. We are also still forced to see things through the eye of the colonizer just like Antigua was also forced. Overall Jamaica Kincaid expresses her anger and frustration toward the state that her country is in and how the colonizers are at fault for it.

English literary contest, My reflection

The English literary contest was a weird an awkward experience to me, as all social and public events are to me. I can't recall if I've ever been to such a ceremony before. I don't think I have anyway. Since I arrived a little late I don't know what happened prior to my arrival, but the first thing I witnessed when I entered was one of the professors using a power point presentation to give pointers and advice to aspiring writers in the audience. She discussed writing methods and possible mentors. It was quite surprising to discover that she was a writer and mentor herself. I also found curious the amount of people that gather writings form novice writers to publish them in books. I could see some of the students writing down many of tips and information she gave. I think it was a nice touch. When they were about to begin the ceremony we we suddenly interrupted by the "Tuna" of the university of Rio Piedras, one of the two anyway. They were about twelve people dressed in rather flamboyant costumes with ribbons and buttons which seemed to display their status inside the group. They sang a a couple of in Spanish and one in English as well as a serenade for the ladies and between each song the oldest member of the group would say a joke or a one-liner. The experience was quite enjoyable overall. They showed impressive skill with the manipulation of the instruments they played with, some kind of guitar or mandolin maybe? They could also hit their tambourine with their feet which was amusing to watch. After the Tuna left the ceremony officially began they announced the winners and honorable mentions and gave the awards for the categories of: essay, poem and short story. It was intriguing to see that a women, currently in prison, was so overwhelmed by the recognition of er work, gives me insight on the artistic potential that people that are imprisoned might have and the stories they could tell. It was also a nice gesture of her fellow prisoner friends to accompany her in this moment which I assume was special and important to her. Once the awards were given we all left the theater and off we went with the hurry that most collage students have. It was an interesting experience but, it was also awkward to see some of my old English professors some of which I've had bad experiences with. Congratulations to the winners, special shout out too ENGL-3135-001 class winners and fellow A team members, and best of luck to those who wish to pursue their writing carrier.

My Three Quotes From Peter Roberts Reading: "The Roots of Caribbean Identity: Language, Race and Ecology."

1. "Language therefore establishes bonds between all communities of human beings but at the same time set up barriers between communities." (Roberts, 1)                                                                                                                                                                                                                 I agree with this quote from Peter, language those unite and separate communities. I can see this happening locally in the island of Puerto Rico and internationally with us and other countries. Locally we all have the Spanish language witch unites all 78 municipalities. We are able to understand and speak with one another quickly and fluidly. However, we do have barriers in that some words vary from town to town. For example for me a "pastelillo", is not the same as an "empanadilla" but both foods are called the same in the metropolitan area. There are also some municipalities which call "olla" a "caldero" which for me a "caldero" is a completely different cooking utensil. These few different words can sometimes cause weird looks from people who have either never heard of them or because they mean something completely different too them. These small changes can cause me to feel out of place even if they seem insignificant. On one hand I find it interesting that they use that word and makes me realize how diverse we are on this small island and on the other I feel like I need to convert them to use the word I use or at least justify why I use it. Internationally our language is something that unites us to our other Latin American countries as well as Spain and separates us from the rest of the Americas and the world. In a big way it shows to the United States of America that we are different and shows some resistance to colonization.                                     
2. "The constant association with and experience of sameness leads to recognition of one's own features as normal and those of others as abnormal/strange/foreign." (Roberts, 2)                                                                                                                                                                                   Living on an island and under The United States of Americas control all these years has giving us a very skewed perception of what is normal. Our perception of the world is filtered through the USA first. The only other country we come in contact with is with the USA. So we see other countries and there cultures as strange and even worse we do not even know they exist and when we do we immediately disapprove of them without a proper evaluation just because they are different. Locally this can be viewed with people from the rural area versus the people from the metropolitan area. Both live different lifestyles, have different values ideas and opinions. If you are not from the metropolitan area you are referred to as "de la isla", which is a term that I personally hate, we live on the same island you do not float on a platform in the sky. I find city lifestyle to be draining, they find that the rural areas are boring. In short we find each other weird and different. Normal in the city is not the same as normal in the country. Living next to cows is normal back home yet seeing any sort of farm animal in the city can be very strange.
3.  "Because the human being does not necessarily remain in one place through a lifetime, home is variable and may be a place of birth, place of residence or may be defined by the popular notion'where the heart is'." (Roberts, 1)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     When referring to puertorican immigrants, many may have two homes one on the island and the other where they live. They have been born and raised either here on the island or over seas but still feel part of our culture and maybe even visit the island from time to time. For me personally in the road to becoming independent, while I still view my parents house as my home, I am looking for a new place to make my own home. I also feel by studying in the university in the metropolitan area I have a new home which is where I am currently lodged in.                                                                                                                                         

Collages and myself

My name is Yadiel R. Ortiz Jiménez and I am currently 20 years old. I live in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico, a small rural town located to the north west of the island. I live there with both my parents, a younger sister and a chihuahua called Mia. I study in the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras. My goal is to graduate with a bachelor degree in biology so I can study to become a pharmacist. I enjoy drawing, reading and spending time with friends and family. 

My collage represents how I view my internal and external journeys. There is a sense of duality represented mainly by the two wolf facing each other, one is black and the other white. This represents a personal view of the world and that is that there are many sides to a situation and I want to understand all of them before I reach a decision. Wolves are a mayor theme in my collage because from a young age I have identified with them. I categorize myself as a lone wolf but at the same time I like how they are portrayed as family animals since they live in packs. This represents my journey to find my own pack a place where I fit in and belong as an equal. Wolves are also portrayed as serious creatures which I am generally described as. In the background of my collage there are many pictures of landscapes most of them with bodies of water. I have always enjoyed nature, as I find it is a great place to relax and meditate. I also identify with the water element because it can be calm and nurturing but it can also be a force o be reckon with is what I strive to become. Water also references my depression, which can be a sea where I float on its surface or a place where I can drown in. The pictures of a battlefield and fights represent the challenges and inner struggles everyone goes trough on there journeys both physically and mentally. There are several paintings which reflect my love for the arts as well as other nerdy references which are part of who I am and in a way have molded me into the person I am today. This collage also represents values, ideals and what enjoy in life.