How Do You View Yourself as an American?

This week we were given an outline to write about American culture. This assigment I thought would take me 5 minutes actually took me longer because it was hard to see american culture from an ethnocentric point of view. This week we were also given a reading called Bemused in American, it was a German journalist writing in the Chicago Tribune about his impression of American culture. I was amazed at his fascination with supermarkets. I never realized how big Dominick's really is when he says, "a factory-sized building surrounded by a huge parking lot." The German journalist is used to small little shops to buy groceries instead of huge supermarkets. Also the journalist had a fascination with joggers. Just like the journalist I too don't understand the concept of jogging from point A to Point B then back to point A to start or even end a day. I understand it's good exercise but it makes no sense to me how running is fun, when all you are doing is going through the motions of left foot, then right foot, but don't forget to breathe every once in awhile. As Americans we never stop and take a look around at our culture and how exspansive and crazy it actually is.

Define Your Looks

Today in class, Sal was talking about how different cultures define people on the way they look. For example in the United States you are either caucasian, african american, asian, pasific islander, or indian. In African there are 8 different categories of race. You can change your race as long as you can prove your ancestry unlike in America you are what you look like. Other countries have different categories for different races. My freshman year of high school during world history my teacher had on the board "What is your nationality?" and you discussed it with the people around you. Everyone was saying my mom is from this country or my grandparents are from this country. I consider myself to be 50% German, 25% polish and 25% Russian because that is all were my grandparents are from, but how can you be only part Russian or Polish? At the end of the activity we discussed with the class and everyone walked out trying to figure out why we wasted the whole class time on this. It took me until my junior year to understand that fact. In American we consider our self to be from different countries that our nationality isn't American. Why is this? Just like in Africa you can change your race category, Americans don't view themselves in one way but in many ways. Why do we want to change who we are?

May I go to the bathroom?

This week in classs we talked about culture shock. Mr. Salituro talked about his experience with a Japenese toilet and being culture shocked after he got off the airplane and wanted to go to the bathroom. The Japanese toilet is in the ground and you have to squat to go into it. Just like Mr. Salituro I had an experience with a Japenese toilet but it was more modernized like the toilets we use. In Hawaii there is a huge population of Japenese residents and also tourist, so naturally Honolulu (a city on one of the islands) caters to the customs of the Japanese. Me and my family got stuck in a Japanese mall about a month ago in Hawaii. We were culture shocked as to how to get out because it is like a maze to get out a Japanese mall they take you by every store so you have to look. Also my family really needed to go to the bathroom. As my mom came with me to the bathroom she told me not to use the cleaning device...being the unknown to Japanese culture I had no idea what she was talking about. As I walked in the stall I soon found out what she meant, I saw there was this control panel and you could tilt the toilet so it could clean you off with the spraying water. Naturally my culture shock threw me off and thankfully there was toilet paper because other wise I would be just like Mr.Salituro and not know what to do. It was strange to me that Japanese didn't use toilet paper but after Mr.Salituro explained in class why they go to the bathroom the way they do it started to kind of make sense. My brother was also fortunate enough to go on a trip called birthright, which is a free trip to Israel. On the trip he told us that Israeli's use a different kind of toilet flusher in order to save on water because Israel is low on fresh water. So there is a yellow tab you pull if you go numder 1 and uses less water and tab number 2 as you guessed it was brown and used more water. It's interesting to see that different cultures have different reasons for going to the bathroom.

Keep an Open Mind

In class this week our teacher put up a video of a man that was born with his feet backwards. In this video the man tries to get people to stop being so judgmental that he has a backwards feet. He tells his audience that they need to keep an open mind in the beginning of his performance. In Operation Snowball it is the exact same way. Operation snowball is a school sponsored organization that for one weekend you go to a camp and do different activities and learn team work along with meeting really cool new people. During Operation Snowball they tell you to keep an open mind. When I first went on snowball I wasnt so sure about going and I didnt have that much of an open mind but when I got there and realized it was a ton of fun I let myself be open. I was open just like the guy in the video because if I wasnt I would have hated the entire weekend and may have end up ruining somneone else's weekend. Keeping an open mind when doing a new active or seeing someone is different is the key to life.

Ruach

I am currently in a group called BBYO, which is a international organization. In BBYO there are different chapters. I am in Ruach. In Ruach we have an elected board and the other girls. I currently amthe gizboit(treasure) of the chapter. In F227 the strong told the weak what job to do and how to survive. This is the same case in Ruach. The strong are the elected board members but since we are a newer chapter I survival rests on the "strong" new 8th graders. Our own chapter isn't even run by our president it is run by a sophmore in our group because she will help Ruach survive since we are a newer chapter (started in 2007). The oldest members that started this chapter are only juniors and it is hard to know that majority of us are juniors and after we leave their may not be a ruach anymore. Ruach right now is about survival but not to the extremes in f227.

FrEaK aNd GeEks

In the show freaks and geeks it shows the true stereotypes of nerdy huys and that all the watch is star trek and have a bully. The freaks are to cool for school and dont fit in to the conformity of being a high school student. Everyday I am confronted by different diverse groups the exact same groups in the show. Today in gym we were doing a team building activity because gym teachers are tired of students being in cliques/groups and not branching out to meet new kids. Their method of trying to make the students interact is annoying because we havent become comfortable enough to talk with new people. Just like in freaks and geeks the main charcter girl tries to be with the freak crowd but doesnt really fit in, that is how I feel everyday in gym. The main character forces herself to become them just as the gym teachers force us all to be friends. Becoming friends or talking with one another is hard just like it is for the geeks when they are confroned by a bully because they are always stutering. Being forced to become friends with others is wrong just like the guidance counselor forces the main girl to go back to the academic decathalon team, even though she is trying to change and be more herself.

Awkward...Silence...Awkward

Silence is it Awkward?
Silence is not awkward because nothing is normal. As I was told by my best friend, define what normal is. Is normal being a stereotype such as a prep, jock or loner. Is normal doing the same as everyone else. Is normal not being able to think for yourself. There is no normal in society because society has become so abnormal that normal is exstinct. Society is abnormal because where I go to high school you can be a goth kid but also be really nice like my some of my friends. Also I have other friends that are the "smart kids" but don't act the way as the stereotype makes them out to be. No one or nothing is awkward because in the end awkward isn't awkward it isn't even normal it is just a part of life some people like and others think of it as annoying. Some think of it as annoying because people try to fill the silence with talk but the talk either makes it funny or just makes it worst. For example, at least once a week at the lunch table my friends have a weird silence and one of my friends just tries to talk to make it better but we all end up bursting out in laughter because we are in our comfort zones with each other. "Awkward Silences" are always the best when in your comfort zone, but if they aren't it makes you feel annoyed and uncomfortable. Real silence is so rare now a days because someone is on a cell phone, facebook, watching tv, listening to music, driving a car, using a computer or other electronics and appliances that have made society "noisy". There is always the "noise" of I need to check this application or call this person or drive here. In the end we end up not listening to society cause we never can "rest" our ears from the "noises of life". We have become trained not to listen, not to feel, not to be anything but noisy! No one can listen even if they think they are in silence. What is silence any more? Does silence even exist?

Who Am I?

I am...
-junior in high school -a sister, daughter & a cousin
-confused about life -a crazy friend
-a procrastinator -truthful
-rock n' roll lover -basketball & softball player
-lover of awkward moments -lover of sports

My goal in life is to decide what I want to do with my life such as a career, where to go to college, where to live, who I want to become. I know I want to do a career either involving computers, social work/therapist, business, music or sports. I want to learn to play the drums and guitar. My biggest influences that will help me ralong my way to reach my goals are my family. I am me.