Reflection Paper

Many governesses before Maria considered the von Trapp children to be incorrigible. They hated the children for the mischief that they do and the children hated the governesses in return. Hate begets hate.

When reading “Dedication to Reality” and discussing it in class it helped me to understand how humans have influenced basically everything in the world, because in class we discovered that knowledge is a human construct. When thinking about this it makes me question everything that I believe I know because how can I be sure that what I think I know is actually so? It also makes me think about how I have most likely had experiences where I probably had the chance to revise my map but failed to do so because I did not want to admit that I was wrong or I did not want to change my point of view and perspective. So I think that discussing this in class helped me to understand that I need to be more open to accepting and learning about other

I believe that you get what you give and maybe other people also feel the way I feel. It considers

The policies I was found in violation of are Use/Possession Drug, Allowing a Guest to Violate Visitation Policy, and Failure to Comply.

Bang! The gun goes off and your life flashes before your eyes. It’s the moment I realize I need to focus in on my body’s effort and concentration to finish the course that lies before me. I’m thinking about the race most of the day and preparing mentally for what challenges can occur along the course. Could I fall and sprain or break an ankle? Could I get overheated and sick? I’ve ask myself these questions while running Cross Country for six years. But, nothing can really prepare me for what’s ahead when I’m running. When that gun goes off and everyone starts running, it’s a totally different environment. My dedication and pride got me through coming in last for four years of cross country. I learned this exact lesson as journeyed my way to each finish line, making me stronger each time.

Throughout this course we have done many writing assignments. These assignments have helped us learn how to use certain tools to help improve our writing skills. After learning these tools, we should be able to analyze other work, write a clear and organized essay, apply our own experiences and also using research to support our essays. My writings throughout this course have come to show that I know how to use these tools to make my writing better and more effective.

Throughout each life stage I have encountered weather it being the past future or present I have faced and will face changes. The changes are influenced by the developmental stage, developmental tasks, psychosocial crisis, and central process for resolving crisis, radius of significant relationships, and the coping strategies I have adapted to. Within these aspects previously listed that have influenced me in the past, present, and in the future I have successes and barriers that have also shaped me into the person I am in my present stage. By way of example, the psychosexual theory and the social learning theory draw relation to my development and experiences that have shaped my development through my life stages. Upon the early adolescence, later adolescence, and early adulthood life stages I have encountered have helped structure the development I have in my present life stage.

When I was 16 years old I realized I had written a paper about how me and my Nana are different and had forgotten the first paragraph. I do not know how I managed to do that but I need to introduce the ways in which we are different. I like to eat, food is good which means you should a lot of it and often but my Nana is is a big health junkie, she was visiting us and every time we had a meal we would hear why we should not be eating what we are eating and why we should be eating something else. Secondly, stars are in the sky everyone knows that, but how the stars are aligned should not decide how you live your life most people know that, not my Nana she would ask when I was born and then log on to her computer and tell me to watch out because how she believes in ideas that are more out there then what I believe in. Ideas such as, yelling at ice will make it freeze weird or that the Earth is a computer simulation. And now that this part is done I can turn the paper in.

Over the course of this semester, there have been a number of on-campus programs that I have worked to facilitate including orientation, the Involvement Fair, “Before the Course”, Commuter Student Appreciation Week, Diwali, “Mini Commuter Student Appreciation Week”, the Graduate Student Study Break Session, and Cram Jam, in addition to several off-campus trips that I have supervised. I have found that a vast majority of programs have broadened my perspectives since I got to learn and understand many of the scheduling difficulties that make it difficult for graduate students and commuter students to attend events. However, one of the most eye-opening programs for me was the Diwali event since I got to learn more about the international student population at Merrimack, as well as how different cultures observe this special occasion. I have also attempted to attend some of the events of the clubs and organizations I have worked closely with, but given my busy schedule I have only been able to attend events hosted by the CSA and Italian Club. Nonetheless, I have found my attendance to be extremely valuable as I aim to show my support for all the hard work they continue to do. Additionally, I have also worked to get involved in the campus community through other contexts outside of my fellowship including the student conduct board and graduate student senate.

I remember sitting in my first grade classroom and staring at the whiteboard while Mrs. Amen talked. “What if all this church stuff is a lie fooling the world?” I thought and would continue to for a while afterwards. Growing up, I had always assumed I became a Christian when I was 6 years old but now I’m convinced it wasn’t authentic. Everyone else in my church and school was one so I essentially thought, "Why not?" However, I was never convinced of its authenticity, having never felt the presence of the Holy Spirit or the Father’s perfect love. It was in no way my church’s fault but the Holy Spirit waited to show Himself to me. Until then I would tune out every time God being brought up and only saw the Bible as a resource for world history. However, when I was 12, God brought me to my knees and over the years has thoroughly convinced me logically, emotionally, and practically of His existence moreover the Bible.

Growing up for me went a little something like this. All three of my sisters and I shared a king size bed in the attic of a rental house off 17th & Dorcas. In the mornings we would wake up to mom’s chorizo and tortillas on the stove. In the background you could hear Telemundo, a Spanish channel, on the television. Being that I was one of four siblings Birthday parties came often, and were celebrated with lots of carne asada, jugo for the kids, piñata’s, guacamole and lots of beer and music for the adults. These parties were huge and went all night long. I guess you can say this was the Hispanic traditional way to throw a kid’s birthday party. Growing up biracial, and multi-cultural Mexican- American, our primary language in our home when we were younger was Spanish.

At a young age, I have always dealt with internal issues such as anxiety. Art is one way I could let myself become calm, it has always been there for me when I needed it, but it soon became a problem once I was made aware that Islam would not allow my way of coping. As an aspiring artist I was told by my Islamic teachers that drawing images, anything with a soul, is a mockery to Allah and his ability to create! According to them, I was honoring the man-made idols that were worshipped by the people of Madinah eventually leading them astray in the times of prophets, that I would be punished for my sin. Soon after though, I would see the broad perspective of religion and belief. For many years, I have been told that nothing else was the truth, except for Islam. With so many days spent inside my home, four years of being in an Islamic private school, and being fed nothing but traditional Islamic ideals and opinions, I would grow up to have a closed mind to the Liberal American way. I countered their overwhelming claims. I came to understand that I had the power to make my own decisions in life and that I could determine what made me happy, what made me a good person, even if that meant rebelling against the way I was raised and taught to live since birth. This was the toughest decision of my life.

I was raised by a father who immigrated from Haiti and a mother who immigrated from France. Both were first generation Americans, who brought along a lot of their culture into the states. I was raised by a mix of both cultures and very little American culture. With hard work and determination, my parents were able to afford a very nice house in a very safe neighborhood. This city was predominantly Caucasian and we were not only one of the only African Americans but also, one of the only French or Haitian families in the city as well. Coming from such a diverse background the majority of my peers thought of me as weird. I was often asked why my skin was brown, why my hair was so “poofy” and why I acted so differently from everyone else. I spent several nights crying to my parents wishing they could give me white skin and straight hair so I would not have to be different from everyone else anymore. My confidence was so low to the point where I had no motivation to do anything. My parents were unable to help me and they began to fear that I would never overcome this.

When I was born to about the age of 8, I kept to myself and enjoyed playing alone. I didn’t want anyone else’s input on what I had to say, because I was happy with the choices I was making when I was playing with my toys. My mom told me I would sit in my room and play with my stuffed animals and My Little Pet Shop toys for hours on end just talking away, but when it came down to group settings I would just be quiet. I have been trying to figure out why that is. I do not remember being to told be quiet or to listen. I just did it. I enjoyed listening to others, because I was learning from their words. I already knew what I thought and didn’t see the importance of sharing that.

In our lives, many events impact us, but, everyone has one situation that is most important to them. One of the most influential events in my life would be when I joined the East Ascensions Advanced Chorus. I enjoyed practicing and performing in class, concerts, musicals and other events, but I enjoyed being with my choir members more. Joining the choir had such an impact on me because I eventually stepped out my comfort zone for the first time, I no longer felt like I did not fit in and gained the self-confidence I always wanted.