And in the End

It’s crazy to think that my first semester of college is almost over. The first few weeks of school started out slow for me, and made me think that the semester would never end. However, after fall break the days have flown by, and I now find myself with only a few classes left before winter break. In Humanistic Studies tomorrow, I’ll be giving a presentation for my final project, a project that has combined all that we have learned throughout the semester. By researching historical context and by analyzing passages of Persepolis, I was able to put together a timeline entry that I’m proud of. I’ve never had any problems with giving speeches before, so I’m excited to share the information that I have found with the class.

Something that I’ve noticed in my humanities classes at Saint Mary’s is that professors assign more group projects than my teachers did in High School. This week alone, I will be presenting two, which is more than I can say I had to in my senior year. I enjoy group projects, because it gives me a chance to see how other people work and to see their different writing styles. I often find that a group member will say an idea about a certain topic that I would have never thought of on my own, which I really appreciate because by listening to their perspective, I am able to gain different outlooks.

So as I sit here and type this, I currently have only one remaining Humanistic Studies class remaining and two more days of regular classes. The time has flown by amazingly fast. I’m grateful for all that I have learned this semester about society, literature, and life in general. If there’s any point of my college years that I will remember most, I’m confident in saying that it will probably be this one, because it was the first time in my life that I’ve lived away from home, and the first time that I understood that there’s so much I can do with a college degree. 

Advising Module #4

I went into my first semester here at Saint Mary’s as a completely undecided major. At this point, selecting a major is becoming more clear and I’m beginning to learn about potential majors that would enable me to explore a field of study that I’m passionate about. Through researching the Saint Mary’s website and other online sources, I’m now interested in looking into social work. I have yet to take an intro course in this field, but I’m anticipating doing so next semester. Anthropology is a minor that I’m still considering, because I remain strong willed to learn about other cultures. In a social work major I’m interested in having the possibility of working in the field at treatment facilities and hospitals. Working with youth would be ideal for me. I think by taking classes in social work I’ll develop better communication skills, because part of a career in social work involves talking to people.

After looking on the Social Work website for Saint Mary’s I was surprised to learn that social work will be an increasing in-demand job by 2014. Since the elderly population in the United States will increase by that time, more social work positions will be opening because there will be more people to care for. Knowing that there may be a job available for me when I graduate is reassuring. I was also surprised to learn that 85% of students who graduate with a social work degree from Saint Mary’s attend graduate school. I always knew that graduate school may be a possibility for me in the future, but if I pursue social work, than it looks like it’s a going to have to be a reality.

‘Intro to Social Work’ is definitely a course that I’m interested in taking. This course will give me the basic background information about social work, and I think it will help me decide if this is a career path that I would enjoy. The course ‘Working with Diverse Populations’ also sounds quite fascinating, because I really enjoy learning about different people and where they came from. I think my Anthropology courses would help me in this class, because I already know some basic steps in observing different societies.

After reading student profiles I was surprised with the amount of opportunities that these student were given. A student named Anne majored in social work and got to practice in the field by volunteering at a facility called “The Sunshine House.” I would love to be able to volunteer somewhere and spend time with people who are struggling. I also read about another Anne who graduated with a degree in social work, and by reading her story I realized that social work jobs will be available in almost every area of the U.S. Anne works in the Bronx with families who are affected by child abuse. Knowing that Anne once lived here and was able to move to New York for her career inspires me to want to do the same. I have always wanted to move out of state, and the possibility that I might be able to really encourages me to want to look into social work.

If I were to write a resume right now I would include my experience in Key Club. This was a community service club that required its members to try and make a difference in society. I participated in volunteer activities such as nursing homes visits and park cleanups. In my next three years of college I would like to be able to say that I regularly volunteered at local facilities such as the Homeless Center of South Bend. I would also like to volunteer somewhere where I could interact with youth and hear their stories and learn where they came from. I’m excited to see where the next three years will take me, and to continue my journey of finding a career that I can have the satisfaction of saying that I made a difference in someone’s life. 

Blog Reflection

Throughout this past semester I’ve have the opportunity to post my personal statements about various topics online for all to see. I’ve created numerous blog entries that have served as an outlet for my emotions and as a listener for my written words. By hearing other’s stories t this semester and by attending educational events I have had the realization that my identity as of now is slowly starting to take shape and that my passions have been found. Through personal reflection and deep thinking I now have a better understanding of where my life may be headed, and the future goals that I hope to achieve.

Creating this blog has helped me discover my purpose here at Saint Mary’s. In my blog post, Why Am I Here? I was instructed to watch two videos about education. After watching them I pondered questions about how relevant the information I was learning currently would be in the future. One video made it seem as though what students learn about in school today, will not need to be applied to the future because that subject matter will no longer be correct. However, I rationalized that the field of Anthropology will be necessary because there will always be a new group of people to study. Watching the videos made me realize that I should continue striving to learn new concepts in classes, but still be mindful that the future will be full of new knowledge. In this blog I was posed with the question of ‘why did I chose to attend Saint Mary’s?’ At the time of writing the blog I was unsure, but came to the conclusion that I came to get the best quality education that I could get. I initially didn’t know the answer to that question because as a new college student, I was still trying to adjust to campus life, and a part of me still missed home. Writing this blog helped me understand my true reasons for coming here, and gave me a positive outlook on my purpose.

Through writing blog entries I was able to confirm what I want to do with my education. In the blog entry Advising Module #2 I was asked to watch a video that dealt with a man describing that his success came from him pursuing his passions. This video made me think about what career would make me happy for the rest of my life. I discovered that is was the act of helping others. At as undecided major I’m still trying to explore what fields of work I can strive in. Over this past semester I have internally realized that helping people is a passion of mine, and something that I hope my future job entails. We read several stories throughout this semester and had the opportunity to blog our thoughts about each one. As I mention in the blog Persepolis 2 that I believe Marji’s story portrays her as coming of age and forming her own identity. Just like Marji, I too have come of age over this past semester. The blogs have caused me to look at my existence in college and question my interests.

One of my favorite events this semester that our Humanistic Studies class attended was the viewing of the ‘One Sided Story’ film clip. In my entry One Sided Stories I discussed my own one sided story that I experienced and how being exposed to people who have certain beliefs without any justification behind them, empowers me to want to prove them wrong. The clip helped my form my own identity because it made me realize that I’m not a person who stands by and listens to people’s ignorance, I’m a person who wants to help people understand that what they are saying is untrue. I think this may be why I chose to study anthropology and sociology; because I want to learn about truth.

This blog has taught me what my passions are in life, and what I want to strive for in the future. In Advising Module #3 I was asked to discuss what I want to do beyond SMC.  I answered that I would like to travel and see the world. This future goal is one that I hope to achieve through anthropology and through personal experiences. This blog has helped me realize where my identity now stands. I’m someone who came to Saint Mary’s for a great education, someone who cares about social injustice, and someone who wants to see the world to get a better understanding of different cultures. My passions have now been discovered, and it’s up to me to make them flourish.

The Difference Between Reading and Viewing

I always find it so different to read a play and then see it preformed. As hard as I try, I have a hard time visualizing plays when I read them. I often forget who the characters are, or which ones are speaking. I had the same problem while reading King Lear. I understood the scenes after we discussed them In class, but when I was reading on my own I ran into problems.

Watching clips from King Lear being preformed was a great experience for me, because I finally understood the scenes more clearly. Film has a way of engaging a  person, and keeping their attention from wondering. I likes that in the film they focused on a character’s face when they were being talked to, it made it easier for me to tell which character it was.

My favorite scene that we watched was the ending scene on the battlefield. Watching it was much more heartbreaking than simply reading about it. The actors in the film where able to convey their given emotions perfectly, and emote a feeling of somberness. The costume choice for this film was interesting because the King and all of his daughters where wearing white when they died. As if the white represented innocence and purity. Their costumes stood out against the dark skies of the battlefield, which made my eyes immediately focus on the family. Overall I was happy that we had the opportunity to see the play put to life, it changed by viewpoint on the scenes in the play, and made me understand Shakespeare’s words more lucidly.

King Lear

Having just finished reading King Lear by William Shakespeare I can’t help but feel bad for the character Cordelia. In my mind, she was the nicest and most honest character throughout the play. In the beginning of the play she is out casted from her father and sisters because she won’t lavishly praise him. King Lear seems like an egotistical person who loves to hear people tell him what a great man he is. He gets power from this. If I were in Cordelia’s position my answer to his question probably would have paralleled hers. I can only imagine what it would have been like growing up in a household with an absent mother, having to be constantly surrounded by her pompous father, and harassed by her conniving sisters. When Cordelia refuses to give in to her father’s wishes she is finally standing up to him. She doesn’t answer his question how he wanted her to, but she still answers him truthfully. By saying that she has “nothing” more to say I believe she means that she has nothing more to offer, that she does indeed love her father as a daughter should, but she doesn’t go outside of her way to love all of his qualities.

At the end of the play Cordelia’s true loyalty is acted out. Even after being exiled from her father she still finds herself caring for his well-being.  She rushes to his side when he is weak and speaks to him in a loving way. Unlike her sisters, whose love for him is materialized and altered, Cordelia’s honest, daughterly love for him is what eventually brings him out of his spell of insanity.

I was saddened to learn that Cordeilia was murdered, even after all of the nice things she does for other people. I think Shakespeare wrote Cordelia in a way that makes the reader want to sympathize for her and morn her death.  She comes across as a gentle character whose only downfall in life is her family, which is tragic, because one cannot chose the surroundings that they are born into and the caregivers that will raise them. I found it admiring that although she grows up with a role model who is not the best, she still manages to find her own identity and voice. After her death her father is distraught by her passing, for thins is the first time that he realizes that in the end, having someone praise you through words, is different than having someone endear you through actions. 

Map Making

I felt that the group work that we did in class on Monday dealing with Servants of the Map was enlightening. My group was assigned to analyze how botany and maps were present in the short story. Out of the several passages that we got botany and mapping played a role in all. The one I remember most was when Max was told that maps shouldn’t be made for someone else to decipher, they should only be made for the maker. I thought this passage was interesting because I always figured that most maps were made for everyone to use. The maps I see in textbooks are certainly used for the reader to gain knowledge, and the maps that I have hanging in my basement are used to represent the different contents of the world.

           

When I think more deeply about it I do remember that as a child I used to make maps of my house and of my yard. I pretended the maps lead to hidden places and treasures that if I followed I would stumble upon. The maps that I created were made for my personal use and for no one else. They displayed my imaginative thoughts that I had growing up. If I were to analyze my own map making and explain how it pertained to who I was at that time, I believe that it would show the sense of adventure that I once had. It would also display my playfulness and my hobby of drawing. I didn’t share these maps with anyone because they were for my eyes only, I didn’t want the prying of eyes of my sister to find them, for fear that she would tease me. In a sense, the maps held a piece of my past personality.

I now understand what the passage meant by saying that some maps are for the makers use only. I believe that Max got personal enjoyment out of making his own maps, and that by writing places and mountain ranges down the maps no longer contained just geographic places, but memories and personal connections of his as well.

Servants of the Map

After reading “Servants of the Map” I’m not sure of how I feel of Max as a character. At the beginning of the story he seemed like a likable man who was devoted to his wife. He was introverted and shy when in the presence of others, which made him likeable to me because he seemed like a decent person.

As his time spent in the mountains continued I could tell that he was beginning to break. I feel like the act of reading a letter from a loved one when you are so far away would make you miss them more. I have no idea how he was capable of reading so many from his wife, knowing that she may not receive the ones he was sending back to her. His experience in the mountains sounded awful. I would never want to be stuck in a cold environment with people I don’t know and with my family thousands of miles away.

My fondness of Max started fading when he met Dima. I understand that he was starved of affection and that he missed his wife terribly, but having an affair doesn’t solve that problem. If Max really missed his wife as much as he said he did then I don’t understand why he would run to the first woman that he sees that pays interest to him. It bothered me that he told his wife that the reason he stopped writing her was because he was “sick.” Lying about what he did isn’t going to help him out at all. Overall I wish I could see how the rest of Max’s life plays out. Does he ever return home? How would his relationship with his wife change? I can only guess that if he did ever return home the guilt of what he had done would eat away at him. He seems like a person who would confess their wrongdoings after an elapsed amount of time.

Translations Act I

I’ve read several plays over the course of my academic experience. In the past I’ve read Hamlet, Henry IV Part I, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar. However, the plays I’ve read have all been Shakespearean, so I’ve never got to experience what it was like reading a more modern play. “Translations” introduced me to characters living in Ireland in a time when formal education was not yet set into law. The characters all attend ‘hedge-school’ located in an abandoned barn.

The moment in Act I that stood out the most to me was when the characters were discussing the new law that was to be set where all children had to attend school starting at the age of six and ending at the age of twelve. The characters seemed appalled that this idea of year long school was even being discussed. If only they were around today, where people attend school much past the age of twelve.

When the characters discussed what the school would be like and how they were going to eliminate the Irish language and promote English, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a book that I’m currently reading for Anthropology. In my book the Eveny culture is discussed. These people live in the taiga of Russia, residing in below freezing conditions. The Eveny people send their children to school in the main village, where the children are enforced to not embrace their heritage. Much like the Irish people, their culture is looked down upon, and the administrators try to conform them to their standards.

So far the first Act has caught my attention and made me want to read more. I’m excited that I can follow along in the book, and not get as lost as I usually do when reading plays. I’m interested to see if any of the characters begin attending a formal school and what their reactions will be.

Advising Module #3

Two years ago I struggled greatly in my math class. My teacher would give her lesson and I remember sitting in my desk trying to keep up with what she was saying. The homework questions we were assigned looked like a foreign language to me, forcing me to stay up late at night trying to complete them. The moment that I realized I needed help was after spending countless hours of studying and still receiving a bad score on a test or quiz.

In order to get help I first started coming to my teacher before school and having her explain different math problems to be one on one. She was accommodating, and didn’t mind going through them step by step. The next course of action I took was getting a tutor. My mom’s coworker is studying to be an algebra teacher, so she gladly took on the challenge of helping me. I saw my tutor once or twice a week for three months. At our sessions we would meet in a relaxed coffee houses and spend about an hour working on concepts that I didn’t understand. Through asking for help I managed to improve my final math assessment by two letter grades. This process taught me to never be afraid to talk to someone if you’re having difficulties.

Beyond SMC I would like to do many activities! Becoming certified in scuba diving is number one on my list. A few years back my family and I traveled to Saint Croix and spent a wonderful week on the island. I attempted to go scuba diving with my sister and dad, who are both certified, and failed miserably. I wasn’t prepared for the controlled breathing that must take place in order to dive and thus started panicking. The dive instructor had to hold my hand throughout the whole process, which embarrassed myself and in turn my family because they had to deal with my hysterics. Just like in math, I know that I can eventually improve my skill of diving. I’m going back to Saint Croix this spring break, and I hope to have another chance to dive.

After college I would also like to travel. Anthropology is what I’m focusing on here at Saint Mary’s, so I’m hoping that traveling will be in my future job description. I’ve always wanted to visit places such as New Zealand, Ireland, and Turkey. When I travel I’ve found that I learn a lot about new culture, but also about myself. You never know how you’re going to react in a different county, or how you’re going to adjust to their customs until you’re there. Through traveling I hope to further broaden my views on the world and on society itself.