Essay II

Survival in the Real World

“Am I in the real world yet? Is this what it’s all about? Will everything get harder?” These are some of the questions that run through my mind every day ever since I became a college student. I have come to realize that the concept of the real world can be defined in different perspectives according to the each human’s life. While I was in high school, I remember listening to some alumni friends saying things such as “Wait until you step into the real world!” and “High school years are the best!” This is because during these “golden years” life feels lighter with no burdens or preoccupations stalking us, unlike the life you start to live right after high school. The time when I did not have to worry about my financial status to pay for books or did not have to think of a career path for my future is gone. Now I must face these questions and many others that do not have an answer yet, but ultimately I will have to come up with a resolution only if I want to achieve what I have always desired. I am only seventeen years old; however, I am already creating my own story by planning out what is it that I want to do with my own life. Where do I want to begin? Where do I want to stop? Where do I want to continue? Where do I want to end up? This new stage in my life has influenced me tremendously to start discovering what I am capable of doing and what could stop me from achieving my never ending dreams.

Initially, high school is the stage of unforgettable memories and delightful experiences. Despite this fact, I always had my mind set in getting good grades. It all started as a freshman, when I challenged myself in my first year of high school with honor classes. This idea of getting good grades and maintaining a good grade point average continued for the remaining years, having my grades under control. Not only were my grades under control, but I was also involved in other activities, such as service clubs and honor societies that required a lot of time and dedication of the student.

On the other side of the balance was my life as being part of the school soccer team. School and soccer were a one together package. In my last year, I did not only have the academics pressure with advanced placement classes, but also the big responsibility of being captain of my school soccer team. As a high school student, my most desired part of the day was in soccer practice. Practice usually started around 3:00 PM and I would be getting to my house around 8:00 PM exhausted. After that, I would usually get into www.myspace.com and be there for like two or more hours. Amazingly, I would usually do homework late at night and then go to sleep not too late. This can be an example of how academics are definitely not a priority in the life of many high school students and they just see it as a “good experience”.

On the other hand, now that I’m in a completely different environment, my life as a college student starts at home, then school, and then back home. Stress, responsibilities, and money are just some of the many issues that college students go thought, and that now I’m facing. A environment in where from the first moment that you get home is eat, and grab your books to study is definitely a time for self-exploration and discoveries.

As a first year college student, the biggest obstacle that I had to face during my first semester at the college was stress. And I know I will keep fighting against it, for stress is like a chain that will always lead me towards the right path. Unfortunately, stress caught me off guard at the beginning of my semester leading me to harsh moments where I had to remind myself about my dreams and goals in order not to stop; because I was already fed up. Homework to do, projects to work on, essays to write, tests to study for, community projects to attend to, plus the other million responsibilities I have outside of school put me in a position where I thought I was not going to succeed in everything I had planned for.

From the very beginning of the semester I was informed by my advisor that one of my most challenging classes was chemistry. During high school, I was a good chemistry student, so at first I felt no worries. Nonetheless, I realized I was not in high school anymore. This was college. So I said to myself “Do not feel overconfident and always do your best”. When the time to take my first chemistry test came, I decided to focus on it and to study as much as I could. Everybody made the assumption that it was going to be easiest test in the whole course because it only included the first three chapters, meaning it was going to be basic chemistry material. But this did not allow me to put my guard down. I still put a lot of effort into it by reading carefully the whole three chapters for more than five hours. At the same time, I analyzed and resolved every exercise in the book. Not only did I worked out the problems in the book, but I also looked over every example in each chapter and I even made note cards for myself with the most important terms. That night before the test I went to sleep at 3:00 AM; my eyes were baggy, I felt extremely exhausted and my brain was burned out. The moment I stepped inside the classroom, I felt ready and even after I finished, I felt I had done pretty well. To my surprise, things did not work on my favor. My grade was a seventy two and I felt miserable.

I realized that stress had embraced all my energy unconsciously limiting me to relax and breath with tranquility. Though I had felt confident because of all the hard studying I had done before taking my test, I had not rested well enough, and it did affect my performance. I was sleepy, tired and stressed. I did not give myself a break and I took over all my good energy. Now I respect the level of stress my body can take. Before any tests, I study in advance and little by little, so when the test day comes, I will not feel as exhausted as I did on my first chemistry test. I realized that the most efficient way to study for a test is not by the excessive hours you might put into it, but the quality of studying you can do in few hours without over pressuring yourself.

Consequently, I have learned a new method to study and organize myself without feeling too stressed. Time management is the answer. I have learned how to divide my time appropriately to fit my needs such as school and my personal life. One of the things I had to do was to set my priorities. In this moment, my main priority is school. I do not have a job, but attending to school and keeping up that 3.5 GPA is almost like a job, because if I fail, I will get fired. In this case, if I fail, I will get kick out of the honors program I am part of and I definitely do not want that.

Similarly, I still manage time to enjoy my life outside of school. Soccer is not a priority anymore, but it’s still a big part of my life. Fridays and Sundays are my “free” days, in where I remember my life as a high school student. On those days I usually get together at my high school with my other team mates and we play a game. I try to forget about school worries and I simply let go of stress. I love to spend time with my family and my group of friends, so I always make time for them as well as I make time for my responsibilities in school.

To sum up, being part of the honors college at Miami Dade takes a lot of effort, leadership but most importantly dedication. Life comes with its ups and downs and one must be strong enough to defeat these obstacles. As a new stage of one’s life, one must learn to accommodate to the different and new things that come along. It will take time, courage and sometimes even failure, but I will make my own story and achieve my most wanted goals in life.

Essay I

Identity and Place
in Little Havana

Latin restaurants, cheerful festivals, small shops, loud music, and parks are all characteristics that belong to the famous neighborhood of Miami, Little Havana. It’s aroma of freshly brewed “café con leche”, Spanish signs, Latin music and most importantly Hispanics, create a comfortable and positive spirit for all tourists and residents. However, this neighborhood is much more than just shops and cafeterias selling strong Cuban coffee. Little Havana is my neighborhood. This is where I have spent seven years of my life as a happy and comfortable resident. The first time I stepped into the joyful streets of Little Havana was on November 28, 2000. I remember seeing this neighborhood as an exciting and crowded place. Every corner was filled up with various Latin beats, similar to those in Latin America. From that first time, I realized that Little Havana was the perfect neighborhood for me. I also became conscious that I was not going to face any problems in adapting to this small, but at the same time powerful enclave. Little Havana’s comfortable spirit has given several motives for many Hispanic immigrants to start living the American dream in this neighborhood. Unfortunately, a big number of people have a bad image of immigrants and assume false statements about them. Such statements include classifying these individuals as low class, thieves, sexual molesters, and illiterate people. Unluckily, common citizens are the ones encountered with these statements. Nevertheless, people always tend to believe the reputation rather than the reality. As a seven year resident of Little Havana I can ensure that my neighborhood is not only a calm place to live in, but also a joyful enclave that one may think worth visiting.

To start with, for many years Little Havana has been known to be a neighborhood with a high number of Cuban refugees due to its near distance from the country. However, over the years many immigrants from all over Latin America have inhabited my neighborhood. Most of Little Havana’s residents are working class people who come from their native countries searching for a better future. Therefore, these people are neither wealthy nor high class people. It is true; my neighborhood is a melting pot of poverty, affluent and middle class. Yet, all of these don’t classify my neighborhood as a worthless and hollow area. Instead, Little Havana is an ethnic neighborhood in transition. From the economy to the culture, politics to foreign policy, entertainment to sports and to the different nationalities that now form part of it. All of these shape Little Havana to a more enjoyable and residential areal to live in.

Money does not and will never make up a neighborhood’s spirit. This spirit consists of the people within the neighborhood. My neighborhood’s sensational spirit makes every Hispanic resident feel connected to their native hometown. The different sound of parrots, ducks and clucking chickens take every Hispanic resident to what they call “home” is less than a second. Seven years ago, when I came to this country I thought I would never taste again the typical chips of my country called “zambos”. Surprisingly, I soon found out there was a grocery store five blocks away from my house called “Honduras Maya”. The first thing I noticed when I stepped into the store was all the different flavors of “zambos” and a variety of sodas that I used to drink back when I was in my country. Later on, I found out that exports from many Latin American countries were commonly sold in other near supermarkets. Sodas, chips, butter, cheese, bread, beans, fruits and medicines are just some of the many exports that are sold in my enclave.

Festivals in Little Havana add up to it’s treasured and fascinating environment. The most famous festival in my neighborhood is known as “El Festival de la Calle Ocho”. I’ve experienced this festival for six consecutive years. “Calle Ocho” street festival is the time and place to represent where you come from. It is also a time of pride for Little Havana’s residents as well as for other Hispanics. I still remember my most memorable visit to one of “Calle Ocho” festivals. I went with a couple of high school friends. We were all wearing some type of representation that showed our Latino pride. As I was in the festival I could smell the different kinds of foods being cooked from different countries. The most typical plate of food that is sold in the festival is “carne asada” with rice, beans and salad. However, there is a big food variety. You can find from the most delicious “empanada colombiana” to the tasty and appetizing Honduran “baleadas”. Food is not the most important element in this festival. Every year famous and popular singers come to the festival to celebrate the honor of being Hispanic. The most common genres heard in the festival are reggaeton, salsa, bachata and merengue. “Calle Ocho” street festival is the largest festival in the world, with around one million visitors annually. Singers, bands, food, flags, contests and people are what make of eight street a loud, crazy, fun and successful atmosphere. “Calle Ocho” festival is definitely a cheerful experience I can never miss.

In the peaceful streets of Little Havana it is common to see children walking to the parks, in search of a good time. Little Havana had a bad crime reputation since the nineteen eighties. However, the MDP reports contradict its previous reputation. They say Little Havana has fewer murders than any other district, with only twelve homicides in the last year. Today, with the numbers shown the neighborhood should be very proud. Facts contradict people’s stereotypes about crime in my neighborhood. Most of Little Havana’s residents are very helpful and understanding. Furthermore, most of the students here at Little Havana, are productive and they put maximum effort in their classes. The majority of these students come from humble but at the same time strong families that wish for no less than improvement in every aspect. In most cases, the children of these parents need to work until late hours at night, that way they can economically support the family, and live in better conditions.

Miami Senior High School, home of the stingaress is Little Havana's home high school. In the year of 2004, the College Board awarded Miami Senior High with an Inspiration Award for its steadfast commitment to fostering student success through rigorous course work and high expectations. Several of the attending students in Miami High comprehend what it takes to achieve dreams. Most have been thought by their immigrant parents to take advantage of every opportunity that they encounter in life. Some take advantage and others don’t. However, the opportunities are present for those that are in search.

To sum up, there is much that one can experience as a Little Havana resident. It is a small neighborhood, yet it is very powerful. With its fantastic festivals, restaurants, and forms of entertainment, Little Havana has created for me a place I can happy refer to as “home”. My neighborhood seems to be ideal for all ages, cultures and nationalities. At the same time, Little Havana gives homes, support, spirit, safeness, entertainment and schools to those on their way up. It’s numerous ways to maintain of itself a Hispanic neighborhood has developed a stronger and prouder me, constantly reminding me of my Latin American roots and culture.

Images of Service Learning

Images of my Service Learning Project

This video basically shows the tasks that we
complete when we are in the garden.


This is us, collecting the good
plants that were going to be given
to the families, free or for a $2
donation.

These boys were preparing the soil,
so that new plants could be there.

What you see here, is the task that most
girls did. We took out the weed, and the
good plants too.

Here, the students are just accomodating
the soil so they could use it to plant
other useful plants.

This are just some girls planting the new plants
of the upcoming season.
.
This is my sister and one of my class
mates. She was filling buckets with
soil that way we could put it
in the new plants.

On my last day at the garden, I spend a big
percent of my time watering the plants.
According to Dr. Dunn, I did a great job.

The girls carefully planting some new plants.

This is an image of how our process was going.
We had planted some plants, but there was
still more!

Here we have Dr. Dun the supervisor of
roots in the city. He was an awesome supervisor.
He provided us with previous, present and
upcoming knowledge about Overtown.

These students were working on the soil,
where the future plants were going to be
at.

After being some hard workers!

We were tired...

The fruits of our hard work.

Facebook Post III

June Jordan

Just as Spanish is to Hispanics, a way to communicate to the world where we come from, after reading this I realized that Black English for African Americans is a way of saying, “we are here, and this is who we are.” Everyone depends on language as a means of discovery to the world. As the author mentions, the extinction of the language will also extinguish the people that contributed to it, that is their own and proud, singular identity. Furthermore, I noticed something important mentioned by the author, which was that language can be use against or to your favor; “Countries as disparate as Zimbabwe and Malaysia, or Israel and Uganda, use it as their non-native currency of convenience”.
One must understand that America is full of different kinds of people; this can be racially, sexually or cultured. However and unconsciously, white standards are the ones controlling our official and popular judgments of verbal proficiency. This creates the sense that the English spoken at our houses is wrong and incorrect and perhaps we should consider to forget about it and learn the white English, this being the “Standard English.” I find it amazing how your personal verbal skills, can tell people your identity, this including, age, sex, and even the locale/urban/rural/southern/western part of where you come from. It is sometimes weird, to have a conversation with a black person, and that you miss their accent within their Black English.

As shocking at it may sound, the parents of these people, have beaten out the fallback of patterns and rhythms of speech that Black English requires. However, it will not matter, how hard people try to avoid it, this will always remain as a source of identification for them, because as rebels as we all are, they know that their language and how they speak represents the presence of life, voice and clarity. Black English is “a system constructed by people constantly needing to insist that we exist, that we are present”. This is why I agree when they wrote the letter in their language, not in the language of the killers. As for people to start accepting who they are, they must first start accepting themselves, without any fear of the consequences. They needed to come out of the dark, because one never knows what will happen, and they do have the power to make a change. This means, not following what people has said it is right, but contradicting and trusting their beliefs.

Facebook Post II

Mango Dialogue

"Peel, cut, chew, suck, swallow...Breath, feel, sing, tell, write" Does the process of eating a mango relate to the process and stages of life? Is a mango a symbol for life? Those were just some of the many thoughts crossing my mind when reading the mango dialogue. Writing can be a two-face coin, one full of "brainstorming, outlining, free writing and other prewriting techniques", and the other with deeper ideas and different motivations. For example, when you are writing a poem, the things that you less think of are spelling, presentation or vocabulary. When writing a poem, the writer must be in a certain state of mind, and into something about the motivation behind writing that specific poem. That stage, when you know no one else will read that poem, is like letting all your inner preliminary feelings out, comparing to the feelings that you experience when you enjoy eating a mango.

I agree with Carlos statement about how we all live in this alienated world suffering from constipated imagination, afraid of what is outside the box surrounding us, sticking to the safe, and disregarding anything new that one may find in imperfection.

We are all different and specific human beings, with dissimilar and unique ways of writing. Some, like Alex may lack trust in prewriting, and others might be used to writing messy first drafts. However, either one way or the other, none of the writing techniques can really tell what you are really thinking until you put all your thoughts together not in your head, but in a piece of paper. That is a way of unleashing the stream of consciousness nonsense in your head. One must learn to look at its result without any kind of judgment. Whether, if you consider the work a piece of art, or just shit, it was useful to your inner thoughts, opening the doors to the fearless dogs that run inside your head. At the end of everything, you discover a new feeling, the one that “nothing really gets flushed down the toilet when it comes to writing”.

As Carlos mentioned, “Food is divine! So are words”. All of us go through different processes, such as living, loving and liberating, just as the life of a mango. We will all be digested and liberated, and in the meantime, all that you can do is value every “unsuccessful” second of life and thank God for mangoes.

Facebook Post I

Tongues/ Cultures

"Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity". I think the author does a tremendous job by making us (Hispanics) feel connected to the article, and making us feel identify with the topics being discussed. For example, in my case, having a Spanish name (Mariajose). For some Americans it is hard to pronounce it, and I don’t feel bothered by this fact. But what really concerns me is their tranquility that they have, and how they never even try to say it the right way. It bothered me a lot how many of my American teachers never really asked me how to pronounce my name and they just played it safe calling me Maria, that way they wouldn’t complicate themselves.

It is awkward the big number of Hispanics that I know, that hate to speak Spanish or just act as if they don’t. In the worst cases, some tend to mock those that speak English with an accent. I find these people to be very ignorant and uncultured because I believe there shouldn’t be any shame at all, but on the contrary, they should feel pride to speak a language with your own accent. Your accent tells the people around you, that you are not trying to be like them and that you are definitely not one of them. A person that is proud to speak with their accent demonstrates security and confidence, unlike someone who has Hispanic roots and it’s embarrassed to accept their reality. One that has an accent and is proud of it shows how civilized that person is. That accent can quickly tell the listeners where you come from. I also believe that unless all the people that speak a language are killed, we will always have a different Spanish from the standard Spanish and different English from the Standard English. This is something that goes back to history, and we just cannot change something that has been created over the years. We need to start telling our generations that it is ok to speak other forms of Spanish, to feel free to speak at the level that they are most comfortable with, since “repeated attacks on our native tongue have diminished our sense of self”. Let’s just be who we are, and have no fears of those that are not like us.

Service Learning Journal III

Roots in the City
Third Visit

• I arrived for the third time to my service learning place around 9:10 AM. But this time it was different. My father dropped us and I took my sister along. She told me she was interested in knowing what were the useful activities that we were doing in Overtown. I immediately thought it would be an awesome idea, if she would come along. At the beginning and as usual our professor and others were discussing what activities we were in charge of today and how useful it would be if we would finish with everything today. After that we got ready and decided to take action on the garden.
• Since this was going to be my last visit (of the semester) in the garden, I took my camera so I could have some memories of this wonderful experience. This time, I was encountered with many of my friends from high school and this made me feel comfortable. We worked awesomely together and I was also in charge of the camera. I took a lot of pictures and I also video-recorded many valuable parts of my last service learning day. At the end, like usual, we discussed important themes that related to the community service that we were working on.
• 

• When we were working on the garden, I was glad to see people coming with their families to ask for the food. This happens every time we work on the garden and i's an indescribable feeling to see people eating and enjoying the fruits of our hard work. I saw the smile in their faces as a way of saying "thanks for this" and that made me feel great.
  
• At the end of the day we gathered in a circle and made me feel great as well. I could see the satisfaction in Dr. Dunn's face after what we had done. When were leaving I was thinking, whether or not I was going to keep on coming to the garden. This experience was the reason of why I stepped for the first time into the streets of Overtown. It was good to really prove if all the stereotyped of Overtown were true. Of course, there was some truth, but not everything was real. Proving this by myself made me feel disgusted at the t people that follow stereotypes, who are just ignorant.
• As I mentioned before it was great to experience how the people in Overtown are, and in the conditions that they live. It was the perfect way for us, the students participating in the project to connect all the things that we have talked about in class to what is really happening in this community. As in my case, as a proud resident of Little Havana, I felt a little offended to the fact and sometimes lies that were said about my community. I'm more than sure that these people that populate Overtown feel offended when ignorant people have conversations such as " Don't you ever step to Overtown, because you will not be alive the next day". These people are following stereotypes, and that is what causes a bad reputation there, and in other communities as well.
• Finally, I really hope that the citizens of Overtown motivate themselves to construct of their neighborhood a better one. With the help of many outside resources, they can definably improve the conditions in where they live. I would definably participate in any campaign provided to help the people in Overtown. Why? because some of these citizens have nothing to do, in how they live now. Because of irresponsible parents, children suffer in this community and that is a fact. Nevertheless, it is never too late to be good and act over something that is unfair.