"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.