Society's Expectations

            In our society, there are characteristics of the “perfect” family. For example, the “perfect” family consist of a dad that goes to work and a stay at home mom that takes care of the children. For this reason, I have chosen a T.V. show, Family Guy, that illustrates how each member of the family acts and most importantly how genders act according to society. In the T.V. show, the dad (Peter) goes to work at an office and drinks beer while the mom (Lois) takes care of her 3 children. Even though, Peter isn’t the perfect role model for his children, he is seen as the man of the house that works for his family. The mom cleans the house, stays fit, and cares for the well being of her family. Both genders are shown differently according to society's expectations.

My Goals

For this class, my goal is to increase my vocabulary and be as descriptive as possible in my writings. Over the years, my English classes were mostly based on reading books that I have no interest in, but this year I have read stories that I can relate to such as "Taking My Parents to College". This story is about a first-generation college student, who takes her family to college, and has no idea how everything is managed. This type of stories are what made this class far more interesting than my previous classes. Compared to other English classes, I feel more comfortable writing about my family and our relationship. This class has helped me to open-up and be more confident in my writings. My main goal is to use the writing skills I have learned in this class, and used them in my career as a Hospitality Manager. Since I will be working around people, I want to be able to communicate with them in a formal way in person or written form. By getting good grades in this class, it will take me closer to my goal.

"I Just Wanna Be Average" By Mike Rose (Summary)

"I Just Wanna Be Average" by Mike Rose is about his experience in a vocational track at Our Lady of Mercy, his school.  Many considered that it was "for those who are not making it, a dumping ground for the disaffected". He was placed in the vocational track by accident and he mentions how many of his friends and classmates believe that school is not for them. His classmates don't show any interest in changing since his teachers don't make an effort to understand them. His teachers believed that intelligence was going to be contagious, so the classrooms were organized in rows with smart people and dumb people each row. In my perspective, categorizing a student as smart or dumb doesn't help the student to believe that they can do better, but it discourages them to try harder. This causes the students to show lack of interest in studying. Rose might have felt the same. He gets out of the vocational track because Brother Clint, his biology teacher, recommended to start his junior year in the College Prep program. He has difficulties understanding the concepts; therefore, he gets frustrated and struggles in school. He would "scribble on paper for a while, but the tension wins out and your attention filts elsewhere" and "begin daydreaming to ease the frustration". He has a hard time getting through his classes, but manages to focus with the help of a new member at school. This was not the only conflict  in his life; his father had passed away as well. He overcomes every challenge with the help of Jack MacFarland, a new English teacher, who changes the attitudes of every student about school. The students were more knowledgeable, and most importantly they had someone that believed in them. For the students, it was important to have someone that supported and guided them instead of being categorized without a reason. In Rose's family, no one had attended a four-year university before, so he did not believe that he was going to. MacFarland believed that Rose had the skills to attend a four-year university; however, Rose didn't have the grades for it. MacFarland helped Rose and ends up attending Loyola University. From his experience, Rose"realized how layered and important that knowledge was".

The DC...

         Something that I have found difficult in college has been eating healthy. Having the 5 day meal plan is all right. The DC has not much to offer since everything that is served is the same thing from the week before. I try eating healthy by changing what I eat most of the time, but there are temptations: cheeseburgers, burritos, and pizza. The first few weeks of the semester I was able to  change my meals; however, I ended up with some of the same meals from before. I know there are other options like Panda and Taco Bell, yet I was never used to eating out as much at home, so I feel pretty bad after eating there. I was scared to weigh myself since I thought I had gained 10 pounds or more, but I didn't, I only gained  2 pounds more. I try buying healthy food to eat such as wheat bread, fruit, and granola bars; I eat the food that I buy when I get tired from the food at the DC. I never thought that the options given at the DC were the same every one or two weeks; however,  I have to admit that I love the parfaits. The parfaits keep me full in the morning , and they make me feel better about myself. I like adding strawberries, raspberries, grapes, diced honeydew and cantaloupe, and granola with vanilla yogurt.

Mi Bendición Mas Grande (My Biggest Blessing)

Todo este tiempo lejos de ustedes me ha hecho pensar en lo afortunada que soy a tener a unos papas tan cariñosos y amorosos como ustedes. Al venir a la universidad me an apoyado en todo el procesó y  nunca me an dejado desamparada. En cada clase trato de hacer el mejor esfuerzo para sacar buenas calificaciones y que se sientan orgullosos de mi y eso es lo que me ha llevado a sonar con un futuro mejor. Tal vez nunca había pasado por su mente que su hija la mas pequeña no estuviera a su lado a los 18 anos pero todo lo que me an enseñado como ser responsable y luchadora a sido gracias a ustedes y todo el tiempo que an trabajado. Yo estoy muy orgullosa de todo lo que an logrado con su vida y mas sacando a nuestra familia adelante. Cada día, San Jose a sido una nueva aventura en la que e aprendido a cuidarme por mi misma. Lo que mas extraño es darles los buenos días y las buenas noches porque no es lo mismo sin saber que todos estamos bien en la casa. A pesar de eso, me e acostumbrado acá y a salir en transporte publico cada vez que tengo que llegar a otros lugares. La comida de la escuela no es la mejor y extraño la comida de la casa pero ese a de ser uno de los mayores sacrificios que tengo que hacer estando acá. Gracias por todo lo que an hecho por mis hermanas y yo, nunca quiero que olviden que todo esto lo hago por el gran ejemplo que me an dado para superarme.

All this time away from you made me think about how lucky I am to have caring and loving parents like you. Coming to a university, both of you have supported me with the whole process and have looked after me. In each class, I try to do  my best, to get good grades, and to make you proud, and this has lead me to pursue a better future. Perhaps, it never went through your mind that your youngest daughter was leaving home at the age of 18, but everything I've learned-- like being responsible and a fighter-- has been thanks to all the time you have been working. I am very proud of both of you and everything you have accomplished with your life and mostly in our family. Every day, San Jose has been a new adventure that I have learned to take care of myself. What I miss the most has been saying "Goodnight and Good morning" because it's not the same not being able to know we're everyone in the house is. Regardless of that, I got used to using public transportation everywhere I go. The food at this school is not the best, and I guess that's one of the biggest sacrifices I have to make for being here. Thank you for everything you have done for my sisters and I; I never want you to forget that everything I do is for everything I have seen you do in order to succeed in life.

Time Management

 

        One of the greatest things about being a college student has been planning my own schedule.  I know I have to be responsible and focus on my school work, but I can go out more without having a curfew. Living on campus has given me the opportunity to stay up late talking to friends, eating whenever I want, and sleeping after class, it's the best part for me. I only have one class on Mondays and Wednesdays  from 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m., so I can sleep more after class is over. On Tuesdays, I have 2 classes, but by 1:30 p.m. my classes are over. Thursdays are my busiest since I have two classes in the morning and one in the afternoon from 6p.m. to 8:45 p.m. I don't have to worry about being late to class since it takes 5 minutes to get to my classes from my dorm. Being able to control what I do, has helped me to be organized by knowing my priorities, and balancing between school work and going out. This has helped me to stay focus on what is important. All of the new opportunities  that college has given me made me thrilled to know what will happen in the next 3 years. For this reason, I'm determined to stay focus and achieve my goals.

What have I learned in college?

       Something I've learned in college has been to be more open-minded. Being away from home can be very challenging to those of us who are living on campus for the first time alone or those who don't know many people on campus. Getting to meet people and putting myself out there is one of the best things to do in college, so getting involved benefits everyone. I was scared to move into a big city at the beginning because I had moved from a small town where most people knew each other. Walking around San Jose is completely different from my hometown, Paso Robles, where most people are at home by 10p.m. However, the people in this big city are still out after 10p.m. Even though, everything is different, I've met caring professors like my health teacher, Professor Mac. She always has a positive attitude and gives out great advice.
      As important, I've found support in the EOP program by meeting my tutor, Quyen. We meet every Monday and work on writing skills, and she gives me tips in order to improve. Also, I've made new friends: Melanie, Ivan, Jewel, Crystal, and Takia. Each of them have incredible personalities, and I have enjoyed their company in and outside of class. I have made friends in all of my classes and in the building I live in, Hoover Hall. One of the greatest friends I have is my roommate, Jasmine. We went to highschool together and we have great communication, so we don't have serious problems.               Every day on  and outside of campus is  a new adventure since I've been lost around the city with Jasmine, but we always manage to find our way back and laugh about it. The first time we got lost was on our way to Target; it was fun. That day we never arrived at Target, but we ended up in the ValleyFair Mall, so I guess that was the fun part. Back home we don't have malls, so now that we live in the city we have visited every mall. My experiences in college have and will become one of the greatest ones in my life. I hope to meet more people from different cultures and races because
learning from other people's beliefs and customs is more interesting than learning from a book at school.

Jasmine (roommate)