Event # 3- If you only had 30 minutes left, what would you say?

If you only had 30 minutes left, what would you say?

That was the question that Dr. Waites had to answer in her speech that she gave at the Last Lecture Series. This event took place the library fourth floor in room 4039. The Last Lecture Series is a semi-annual program sponsored by the Spiritual Life Council. Each year, the students here at Nova nominate the professor they would like to hear speak in the Last Lecture Series. And this year the selected professor was my current First Year Seminar professor Dr. Kathleen Waites. She had to give a speech about what she has learned about what matters most in life, and the people and events that have impacted them.
Dr. Waites, in her speech, talked about her mom and her death. Her mom used to be the town reporter because she would go around getting stories and information for her grandmother. Therefore, her mom used to have a lot of stories to tell. Unfortunately her mom died recently. She had to care of her mom before she died, and she admitted that she was not very excited a first because of her busy life. However, as her mom got worse and she was the only one there by her side when she died made her feel more attached to her mom than she ever was. Dr. Waites said being by her mom side as she passed away was the one of the best thing that happened to her. She said she would not trade it for nothing.
I selected this event because Dr. Waites is a great professor and I wanted to hear her speech. This event is connected to the college theme of life and death because Dr. Waite speech was about what matter most in life and her mom death. I will definitely encourage every one of my classmate to participate in the Last Lecture Series because they are very educational. Dr. Waites speech was very inspiring and emotional, and I am certain that every one that attended the event gain something from it.

Is it necessary?

Racism in America has been around since the beginning of time. In the 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King fought to stop the discrimination against people of color which led to the passage of the Civil Right Movement in 1964. However, until these days there is still racism. Many people are closed minded when it comes to changing their feelings about people of other races or getting to know them. A perfect example to support that leads me to the movie Lone Star which we recently watched in class. The movie took place in Texas border town in the 1990s. It’s a story about people of different ethnicity's (Black, White, and Latino) who face with difficult social problem because of racism.
As an immigrant living in the U.S., I witnessed racism. It was laughed at and teased in school because of my foreign accent. It was difficult for me to pronounce the words properly because of my French accent. Today, one can believe that racism doesn’t exist anymore in the U.S. since we have an African American as president. But many people predict that he will be assassinated just like Martin Luther King was. Isn’t that still racism? Racism has been around since the beginning of time and I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon because most American are intolerant of other races and think they are superior to everyone.

Event # 1- Invisible Children-

Invisible Children is a documentary about children in Africa. It focuses on children between the ages 5-12 that are being abducted from their families. They are taken into a place called “Bushes”. There they are brainwashed and trained how to kill people using guns, machetes, and knives. The children that are not abducted leave their houses because they fear that they might get abducted if they stay there. As a result, they are force to live on the streets. Some of them escape to go sleep under a hospital floor because they feel safer there. They don’t have any clothes, food or a place to stay. Teenage girls are raped by the kidnapers and others get sexually active at a young age using dirty plastic bags as condoms.
This documentary was shown in the Health Professions Division on Monday October 6. The members of the Rotary Club here at Nova show the documentary because they were trying to raise money to go visit and donate to the children in Africa. I attended this event because I wanted to see why the children in Africa were called invisible. However, I decided to write about this event because after watching the documentary that was the only thing I could do since I don’t have any money to donate to the organization. I wanted everyone to know what these children go through and encourage them to donate if they can.
The documentary, Invisible Children is connected to the college theme of life and death because it is about children dying in Africa. It’s also about children that have their lives taking away from them, they don’t have anywhere to stay, they barely get a meal per day and worse they not in school. Even though they alive, it’s like they don’t have nothing to live for.

Event # 2-The Fifth Diamond-

This event took place in the Parker building in room 123 on the 25th of November. Irene Weisberg Zisblatt is the Holocaust survivor and the author of The Fifth Diamond. She gave a speech about her life story and how she survived the Holocaust. She grew up in Hungary, but her world soon failed apart when Hitler recommended that all Jews were killed. She talked about her family and recounted the last time she saw them alive. She was taken into a concentration camp and was forced to give all her belongings. Her mom gave her five diamonds so she could buy bread when she gets hungry. Since she didn’t want to give the only memories that her mom gave her, she had to swallow them. She witnessed and experienced unspeakable cruelty at the camp. However, she survived. It took her fifty years to let go of the terror of her experience and speak about it. She encourages us, children and teenagers of today to tell her story. Her exact words were: "You are the last generation to meet a Holocaust survivor, so help me share the story when I am no longer here." Everybody that was listening to her speech was in tears as she told her painful life story.
I selected this event because my composition professor told me about it and I was curious to see what Irene Weisberg Zisblatt, the Holocaust survivor, had to say. This event contributes to the college theme of life and death because it’s about the life experiences of Irene and the death of all her family members and everyone she cared for. It shows how important life can be to someone once they experience death. I will definitely encourage other students to go listen to her speech if she ever comes back to the school, to read her book -The Fifth Diamond- and to watch the documentary-The Last Days-.

All because of love!

As Dr. Waites said it in class, we all know what happened in the movie, Return to Paradise, so there is no need for me to summarize it. However, the character that stands out to me is Sheriff. In the movie, Sheriff is self centered, irresponsible and doesn’t show any emotion. But all that changed after he met Beth. Because of the outcome of their meeting, Sheriff became a whole new different person. He was able to mature and grow in a way that was very surprising to me as I watched the movie.
Sheriff became mature and responsible. He wasn’t thinking about himself anymore. He was aware of Louis situation and admits that he was responsible for what happened to him, for example when he admits in front of the judge that he didn’t want to live a careless life anymore. He also became attached to Beth; which was unexpected from him because he only used to care about himself and never cared about the women he dealt with.
All of this helps me realize how important my mom is in my life-thank to her im able to love and care for other- Or should I say how important a women figure is in one’s life no matter how old they may be. In the movie, they show Sheriff’s dad but they never said anything about his mom. I think that’s the reason why he was self centered with no emotion. If he had his mother around he would known how to love and care for others but he didn’t. By being with Beth, he learned how to care for others and love and that’s what helped him become mature in the movie.
Another thing that I learned from this movie is that you have to be careful of whatever you do. Especially being a college student, you might do something today and don’t think it will affect you but it will come back sooner or later. For example when Sheriff crashes the bike he didnt think that the owner would come and look for the bike but he did. Even though he moves to NY, he still had to go back and take responsibility for what he did.

Cowboys vs. Mounties

In our last class reading assignment, we were asked to analyze an article by Sarah Vowell. In her article, she compares the Americans and Canadians patriotism. Two points made in the article are that Canadian (Mounties) treat everyone with respect. They are non- violent.The other point made in this article is that the people in Canada seem to be less aggressive, less selfish, and more apt to help others.Canadians believe in helping others not just one’s self. A Mountie was asked about his, “squeaky-clean” image by the author. He was also asked where his dark side was. He laughed and answered that there was no dark side. He explained that Canadians are no better than anyone else; compared to the Americans who are more violent and take more pride in their county because they believe they better than everyone else.
I like the Canadian structure better because I like helping others. I feel I can be part of a team. I don’t feel the need to be selfish. I believe in other people’s rights as well as my own.

Invisible Children!

Invisible Children is a documentary on children situation in Africa. This documentary is one of the kind and i think everyone need to watch it. Trust me it will change your life in one way or
another.
The documentary is about children (between age 5-12)that are being abducted from their families.They are taken into someplace called '' Bushes". There they brainwashed and trained them how to kill people using almost anything like guns,knifes,machetes and much more. Now can you imagine a five year old holding a gun killing people? Those that are not abducted leave their house because they fear that if they sleep there they will come and get them too. So they are force to live on the streets. They doesn't have any clothes, food or a place to stay. Every night some of them escape to go sleep under a hospital on the floor because they feel safer there. Teenage girls are raped by the kidnappers and others get sexually active at a young age using dirty plastics bags as condom.

Most of us here in America take life for granted. We have a place to live, a bed we sleep in every night, and more than enough food that we need. While there are children in Africa that are dying of starvation. They lucky if they get a meal per day. We have a government that pays for school and some of us still doesn't take advantage and get educated. Those children want to learn but they don't have any school or teacher to teach them.

Personally this documentary really changed me. I'm from Haiti. I lived there for 14 years. I'm used to seeing poverty, so i can relate to this documentary but i have never see anything like what those children go through. I couldn't stop crying while i was watching the documentary. It hurts to see how children are being treated and there nobody to do anything about it. While they showing those children that are naked and only have the clothes that they wearing, I felt ashamed of myself. I have a closet full of clothes, I cant even count how many pairs of heels that i have yet i feel like i don't have enough. I decided to donate half of my clothes to charity and think twice before i waste food or anything else.I look at life differently now.
I know i don't have money to go to Africa and help like i want to but i figure if i pass on the message someone hopefully will do something about it. I'm begging anyone of you that will read this blog to take the time and watch this documentary.Its only 45 minutes. And also if you can donate it will make a big difference in those children life's. Check out the website: http://www.invisiblechildren.com/.

What is the real definition of the American Dream?

The term was first used by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America which was written in 1931. He states: "The American Dream is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.(http://lcweb2.loc.gov/learn/lessons/97/dream/thedream.html) Still, it might means something different to somebody else. Immigrants for example, most of them come to America in search of freedom; whether its political or religious. I can relate because my family and I moved to the U.S because of political issues that our country was facing.Everyone see the American dream in a different way. I think it all depends on how you look at life. To me the American Dream means to be successful in everything i do and enjoy a happy life with my loved ones.
Some people say that the American Dream has become the pursuit of material success. People are force to work more hours to live a fancy life(like having different customize cars, owe houses as big as a mansion and even having their own business).But then they have less time to enjoy their success since they have to keep working in order to maintain the fancy life that they chasing. Yet others look toward the American Dream with less focus on financial success and focus more on living a simple, fulling life; which is the case of Chris McCandles, the main character of Into the Wild-the book that we are currently reading-.
In this novel Chris is a college graduate who decided that its time he break free from his parent. He didn't like to be told what to do and had a different prospective on life from his parents. He was a non conformist and he wanted to be free in his own way. Chris was influenced a lot by Jack London,Mark Twin, Henry David Thoreau, and Leo Tolstoy writing.-They had a different view of society and were more in touch with nature.- Jack London was his favorite ever since childhood. He read and reread his books: The Call of the Wild, White Fang, To Built a fire", An Odyssey of the North".(page 44)I think that's what influenced him to start his own journey that he called the "Alaskan Odyssey, where he planned to go to Alaska and lived off the wild.
When i first started reading this book, i thought Chris was crazy and stupid for making such decision and was responsible for his death. I'm pretty sure most college student will feel the same way. Its hard enough to get financial support to pay for college and to throw it all away like that at the end of your studies will not only be a waste of money but time also. But as i got further into the book, i realized what drove Chris to live the life that he chose. Life meant more to him then just being successful financially and having a degree. It was more about enjoying new experiences and taking chances. Chris went a little to far though. I can understand that he didn't like the way society was and wanted to be free from his parents but he didn't had to go in the wilderness unprepared as he did. He should of known that he wouldn't be able to survive in the cold without proper clothing and essential gear to feed himself. What was he thinking?
I don't think I will be able to give up everything and just go into the wilderness and take chances like Chris did but i do admire his courage and the way that he look at life.

Being a citizen-student!

According to The American Heritage Dictionary, the word citizen is defined as " a person owing loyalty to and entitled by birth or naturalization to the protection of a state or nation." And a student is "one who is enrolled or attends classes at a school, college, or university." Those two words are not related but they can be use to describe most students at NSU including myself. To me being a citizen means more than owing loyalty and being entitled to protection, it means to help out in my community, to obey the laws,to treat others with respect regardless of their economic status , culture, or race.

As a citizen, I believe it is my duty to vote not only because the constitution grant me the privilege but also because i want my opinion to count. We are in charge of who we decide to elect as our next president. If we don't take time to inform ourselves before we vote then when things go wrong later we can only blame ourselves. I have been trying to inform myself as much as possible so i will be able to make a wise choice in deciding who i am voting for the upcoming elections. Which is a very important one because it will be my first time voting and because it will be one that everyone will remember. This upcoming elections will make history because its the first time that we have an African-American male and a white female running for president.

I do not think that i am obligated to join the military because i believe its a person choice.But i do respect and support the soldiers that are representing our country.

Life and Death!

Life! What is life? Well according to American Heritage Dictionary it is define as" the interval of time between birth and death". But life can mean anything depends on how you look at it. To me life means more than just living and breathing, it is about a purpose to live. Knowing why you want to live. Most people don't know why they alive. I believe that everyone was put on Earth for a reason whether they know it or not. My purpose in life is to help others and i try to do that everyday that i live. That is one of the main reason why i want to be a nurse or it might be as simple as just listening to someone. You won't believe the difference you can make in someone life if you would just take the time to listen to them. I also helped by volunteering at the hospital.
I also have goals that i want to accomplish. I put them as a priority in my life. One of them is to be successful so i try to be the best i can be in everything i do.
Life to me is knowing what's important to you and cherish it everyday that you live.

Blogs of Interest

Area: Nursing
Why: Because my major is nursing. I am a caring person and I think the medical field will be the perfect career field for me and also because I perform better under pressure so I should be able to do fine in a hospital.
What i want to know: How long will it takes to become a nurse? What are the best school to get my degree from and what to expect.

I found a blog website about nursing. The website is

It is a very helpful website for people who want to pursue a career in nursing.

http://medscapenursing.blogs.com/medscape_nursing/2008/05/nurses-blog-abo.html

One of the nurses wrote a poem. She says this poem which she wrote for her emergency department explains the 'real' reasons she is a nurse.

This poem touched me because she didn't choose a career in medical school because of the salary but because she feels that helping other people is really what she was meant to do. I can relate because that is exactly how i feel.

Area: Music
Why: Because I love music
What i want to know: Why certain artist write the songs that they sing about? Is it really their life experience or just something that they think the public will like therefore they can make money of it?

Area: Fashion
Why: Because I like fashion a lot.
What I want to know: Different designers
A good website for fashion is www.livejournal.com/community/hot_fashion/ . Its for all the fashion lovers to share comments, photos and ask questions.

House of Sand and Fog-Character Analysis-

House of Sand and Fog is a great novel and is now one of my favorite novel. Each character has their own story, one more intrigue than the other. The character that i really could not understand is Lester. He always left me wondering why would he act like that after every decisions he makes.

I don't get how he fall in love with Kathy so quickly. He barely knew anything about her. Kathy even asked him the same thing. At first I thought he just wanted to use her for sex since she was already a screw up but as the story goes on, I realised that he was serious about his feelings for Kathy. On top of that he was a married man, and a father. You would think that since he grew up with his parents separated he wouldn't want the same for his kids but then again he wasn't thinking. Just going on impulse because of his emotions.

What really make it worst is the fact that he was a deputy, which mean he knew the law and the consequences of his actions. But he was so blinded by love that he didn't take no time to think before making any decisions. Its understandable that he wanted to help her get the house back because it was taken from her unjustly but there should of been a limit to what he was willing to do. I know they usually say woman are the ones that get emotional and get carried away but in the novel Lester was worse than a woman. He torn his family apart, his kids will grow up without a father and he cause the death of a whole family just because he let his emotions get the best of him.

And why does he kept wanting to see his kids every time he realised he messed up. He if cared so much about them why did he torn the family apart and left in the first place? I think Lester deserve everything that happened to him and I'm glad that he didn't die because he need to think about everything he caused because of his foolish actions.