Reflect on a time when you discovered a new perspective that completely changed how you viewed a person, group, or place. How did your previous “single story” shape your thoughts or actions?

A time my perspective really changed was when I learned that all Arabic speaking countries didn't speak the same Arabic as each other. Before, I would put all Arab countries, from Morocco to Oman in the same sack. I though they all spoke the same standard Arabic, all had the same traditions, etc... In reality, Arabic dialects vary a lot, to the point where someone of North Africa may not be able to have a smoothly flowing conversation with someone from the UAE. This previous "single story" I had about all Arab countries was really ignorant on my part to assume they were all the same and it made me realize how I wouldn't want people to think the same about all Hispanic countries.

Today in class we worked on our identity masks and finished them so we can work on the written reflection the next day to hopefully present by Thursday.

I didn't learn anything in class today since we just worked on the masks.

Judith Ortiz Cofer says, “The Island travels with you.” What part of your culture, family, or identity do you feel “travels” with you everywhere you go?

What travels with me everywhere I go is my accent and the way I speak. Even in new places, my accent reminds me of where I grew up, where I'm from and the people who influenced me. my accent is a small part of my identity that comes along with me anywhere I go.

Today in class we did an online assignment on The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Reading what Adichie said was really interesting because in a way I felt guilty of falling in the dangers of single stories, but I never realized until just after reading what she said. Safe to say reading this has impacted me heavily and I will be more aware when reading something about a group of people, especially if it's the first time I read something about them.

Which learning method do you enjoy the most? Class discussions, worksheet work, or hands-on activities. Select one and tell why.

The learning method I enjoy most out of all is class discussion because it allows me to hear different opinions and ideas from other people. Sometimes, you just need to hear someone's perspective on the same matter to expand your thinking and understand it better. I also like to share my own opinion and ask questions. Also, class discussion makes learning more interesting and engaging than just reading or listening to the teacher. 

Today in class we read "The Myth of the Latin Woman" an essay written by Judith Ortiz Cofer about stereotypes placed on latina women.

Reading "The Myth of the Latin Woman" made me realize all the different stereotypes people from other cultures have on latina women. I guess I was aware of some of them, but I had never actually acknowledged them. Now that I hear about them, I can reflect on how unfair and bad they are.

Write about an experience when someone assumed something about you because of a stereotype. What was the situation, and what did you do

 One time, someone assumed I was Mexican because I am Hispanic and have a Hispanic name and I speak Spanish. They started talking to me in a stereotypical way with popular Mexican words and asked me if I liked tacos. I told them that I am not Mexican and that Hispanics come from many different countries each with distinct cultures, food and ways of speaking. I didn't get angry, It just made me realize how ignorance can make people make big assumptions with minor things. 

Today in class we watched a Ted Talk about a Hispanic girl in school who suffered from stereotypes and how she's overcome them. We then filled a chart about positive, neutral, and negative stereotypes of distinct cultures, ethnicities, races, and groups.

From the Ted Talk I realized how many Hispanics in school suffer from stereotypes placed on them by classmates or teachers. Filling in the chart about the stereotypes also allowed me to think deeper and reflect on stereotypes from all cultures and groups and why they are harmful and inaccurate. 

In “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, the mother provides her daughter with numerous expectations about how a girl should behave. Reflect on a specific gender expectation within your culture that has been challenging for you to navigate. Then describe one clear example of this expectation and explain why it has been difficult for you. Keep your response concise, vivid, and focused on your personal experience.

 One gender expectation from my culture that has been challenging is the expectation that boys should be responsible for fixing things. For example, when something around the house breaks, I am often expected to know how to fix it. This can be difficult because I don't always have the knowledge of how to fix anything but I still feel expected to handle it since I'm a boy.

Today in class we read "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid and answered some questions to better out understanding and comprehension of what we read.

It was interesting but at the same time sad reading about the expectations the writer's mother had on her when she was a child. However it is helpful because it helps us to better understand gender roles and expectations from different cultures and times. 

Take a clear picture of your “I, Too” poem and post it to your blog. To upload the picture, click the image icon within the blog post, and it will allow you to upload your photo.

 The inspiration behind my poem, "I too am humble" stems from growing up between two distinct cultures. When trying to relate with other Venezuelans, I'd get told "You are not Venezuelan, you didn't grow up there" or "You don't know what we've gone through". My mother is from Venezuela, and even though I wasn't born there, I know what is was like living there because I lived there for two years. I know what power suddenly going out a Monday afternoon and it not coming back till Sunday morning feels like. I know what going to the supermarket and seeing empty aisles of just about anything except rice and flour was like. That's why I wrote this poem. To express that I too, despite not being born there, know what living in Venezuela under Maduro's dictatorship is like.

Today in class we shared our "I too" poems and our inspiration behind the poems. Then we worked on our blog posts for the day.

Writing my poem wasn't as hard as I expected it to be. As I started writing, I would keep writing without even thinking about it and it made sense. The rhymes just flowed into my mind and I wrote them without thinking much about it. The hard part was making it at least four stanzas. As I finished the second one, I started to run out of ideas for the third stanza and had to improvise and think more about what to write instead of just flowing like I was before.

Write about a time when you did something out of the norm. What was it and how did others react

 A time I did something out of the norm was when I woke up earlier to try to be more productive. Instead of sleeping until 7:00  and get ready in a rush to go to school without even having breakfast like I was used to, I decided to wake up a whole hour earlier at 6:00. At first, I felt uncomfortable, I wasn't used to waking up that early and I just wanted to shut off the alarm and keep sleeping. Instead, I decided to get up and I had enough time to shower, walk the dogs and even have breakfast. Suddenly, I realized waking up just an hour earlier was really worth it and it started becoming a habit. Also, my mom really appreciates me taking the dogs out in the morning because it saves her time since she's usually the one who takes them out in the mornings.

Today in class we read an essay from the 70s called "Why I Want a Wife" by Judy Brady. Then we used it to make an alternate version of "Why I Want a Husband".

I learned about how gender roles can be really unfair and how women, especially wives, were expected to act back then and even some of those expectations remain today. Today's lesson impacted me by learning that these gender roles are wrong. 

Describe a time when you felt completely lost.

 A time when I felt completely lost was a day I went to the shopping mall with my mom. I was around seven years old and we went to the shopping mall on a ordinary Friday. After a long day of looking for and trying on a lot of clothes, I was mentally exhausted. And so while walking through the mall, I saw a game shop. Instead of letting my mom know, I decided it was the best idea to head into the store by myself. I spent a good time inside the shop, looking at different games, consoles, toys, and everything seven year old me enjoyed. When the realization hit. I had completely lost myself and didn't know where my mother was. I was terrified, and after running out of the store in desperate search for my mother, I burst into tears.

Today in class we discovered and learned about gender roles in society

I learned how gender roles can be nature or nurture and different gender roles from my classmates cultures. It taught me that we live in a very mentally fixed society but we are slowly progressing which is good.

Analyze how you’ve adapted to the demands of this course over the past week, and evaluate one strength and one challenge you anticipate as we progress, justifying your insights with personal examples.

 Over the past week, I have adapted to the demands of this course by becoming more organized and productive. I try to complete my homework the same day it is assigned to me as soon as I get home so that it doesn't pile up. Also, I'm making an effort to pay more attention in class and participate more so I can understand best the material and won't have to study as much at home. One strength that I have is that I try to be as productive as I can with my time in class. One challenge I anticipate is managing my time outside of school, especially with work, soccer and maybe another thing I'm thinking about joining. I will need to be as efficient as possible with my free time so I can keep up with the course.

Today in class, we analyzed and annotated a poem by Langston Hughes; then we created our own poems using Hughes' poem as inspiration.

I learned about Langston Hughes and his vision on equal rights and I also exercised my creativity by writing a poem from scratch about a time someone has told me I wasn't something I am.

If someone tried to understand you using only your race, what important things would that person miss? Describe at least three other parts of your cultural identity that help make you who you are.

 If people tried to understand me based only on my race, they would miss many important parts of who I am. First thing they would miss would be the way I was raised. growing up amongst different cultures and countries have influenced a lot on who I am today and my identity. Second, would be my experiences of moving a lot. These experiences have shaped how I see the world and taught me to be more independent and flexible. Third, would be the things I like and interests, soccer has taught me many things like discipline, teamwork and resilience. And my family and friends all over the world are an important part of my identity as well.

Today in class, we watched three different videos about people who had difficulties with social labels about race and we answered questions about the videos on Writable.

I learned a lot about different people who struggle day to day about social labels due to their mixed backgrounds and social pressure. It helps me realize that I'm not the only person that is confused about this topic and that some people have it even worse than I do and relating to these things always help.

Think about the different people, cultures, experiences, communities, interests, and traditions that have shaped who you are. What parts of your identity have had the greatest influence on the person you are today? Have you ever felt pressure to change, hide, or emphasize a part of yourself in order to fit in?

 The parts of my identity that have influenced me the most are my family, my experiences, and the different communities I have been part of. Moving to a new country and starting over again taught me how to adapt to different environments and be comfortable being uncomfortable. It has taught me to adapt to unfamiliar situations and be more independent. My family has also influenced in the traditions we share and the values I live by. I have sometimes felt pressure to change part of myself to fit into different groups or be accepted but overtime, I've learned that I do not have to change myself or the things I do to fit in and that being comfortable with myself is far more important.

Today in class we went over a poem about a Korean girl who wanted to be white to fit in by at the end of the poem shares how she really doesn't and shes actually proud of her heritage.

I learned about how the people that surround us can sometimes add pressure specially to fit in if you're part of a minority and a takeaway I took from this lesson is to be proud of your culture and heritage and don't try to be something you are not.

Describe a meaningful family tradition unique to your culture and explain how it mirrors or contrasts with the cultural identity themes of expectations.

 A meaningful family tradition of my culture is something we call in Spanish "sobremesa" which literally means "over-table". This is what we call the time spent talking with family and friends after a meal instead of immediately leaving the table. During sobremesa, people share stories, joke around, discuss their day and overall just enjoy the company. This tradition contrasts expectations because it is a tradition that shows how having a meal isn't just about eating but rather about spending quality time with family. It shows the importance of family and close connection with loved ones in my culture.

Today in class we presented our projects about the origin of our names and we learned about cultural identities and different traditions and how they've developed over the years.

Today I learned a lot about my classmate's name origins, their family traditions and some interesting stories. I also learned about different culture identities like race, gender, sex, languages, etc... 

Three Goals That I Want to Achieve This Year

Since next year I'm officially and legally an adult, I have many goals I want to accomplish before being one. These are just the three goals I'm giving the most priority too as of now. My first goal is to continue building my savings to have an "emergency fund" which I can use in case a sudden vehicle repair comes along the way, replace my income in case I were to loose my job, and to avoid debt once I can get credit loans, which leads me to my second goal; Getting my first credit card once I'm eighteen. Technically I will already be an adult, but I listed it because I plan on getting it the exact same day I become one. I want to get my first credit card because I deeply understand the benefits of having good credit, I want my credit card as soon as possible so I can start building good credit because I'm aware that the benefits of having good credit don't appear overnight. My last, but certainly not least goal I want to achieve before the end of this year, is to continue being a healthy individual, to not fall in any vices or unhealthy habits and to keep or even make new healthy relationships with friends, family, and colleagues.