"Imagination
is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination
encircles the world."-- Albert Einstein
Beginning this class, I did not expect to learn the number of
skills I now know. I have gotten the chance to learn about discourse
communities, inquiry writing, memoirs, argumentative essays,
ethnography, blogs, etc.
After reading “Shitty First Drafts”, it made me realize how I can just free write and include all my ideas into my paper and not worry about perfection. This strategy has helped me because now I do not spend extra time fixing errors while writing my first draft. Another thing that has helped me was the video I watched about how the writing process is like baking a cake. It taught me to understand how everything has steps to follow and it must be done with patience and time in order to fully complete a masterpiece. Within the first two weeks, I also learned how to create and use a blog. One of my favorite pieces of writing I wrote was my Literacy Memoir Inquiry Project. I felt that it expressed myself by writing and showing how I am through personal experiences. By week 4, I learned what a discourse community is and how I could be involved in different discourse communities everyday. Never did I think I would be able to identify numerous discourse communities anywhere I go. In this piece of writing I composed for discourse communities, I wrote about my place in a discourse community at my job.
Another one of my favorite writings, was the Profile Inquiry Project. I enjoyed being able to interview and show to my audience the life of a Hispanic man and his family. I enjoyed being able to show the things he had to go through and how this impacted his life. In the end of this essay, I feel the audience was able to learn how life may hit you hard but life goes on. Finally, my ethnography essay was the essay I felt most proud of. Personally, it was the essay I put more effort in and was prepared to deliver an assignment where it had every requirement and was written close to perfect. I have developed as a writer by including better detail, quotes, secondary reading sources, and fieldwork.
Using the discussion board, was another way I have been able to improve with my writing. Using the discussion board has helped since I get feedback from at least three peers. Also submitting writing assignments for peer editing has given me the opportunity to improve my writing and give me reassurance that I am doing everything correctly. Without peer review, I feel it would not have allowed me to notice any mistakes or improvements I could have made. I think I have also helped others with their writing assignments by giving suggestions on how they can improve to write a better essay. Throughout this course I have been able to learn and improve myself in 10 weeks. It has given me the opportunity to engage in new aspects of writing.
Three of my best pieces of writing were the Literacy Memoir Inquiry Project, Profile Project, and the Ethnography Project. The first piece of writing is the Literacy Memoir Inquiry Project. A memoir is similar to a personal essay but focuses more on life-changing events. It analyzes a deeper meaning behind an experience or event. For this assignment, I was to go back into a part of my life and explore in past experiences. Then I was to reflect on those past experiences and examine what I know now about those experiences. I chose to include this project in my portfolio because it gives an insight about myself and how I have learned from my past experiences.
Consequences of
Procrastination
It is the 5th
grade and I’m in a higher level reading class. My teacher is an
excellent teacher and the class is all fun and games, but then of
course we have to do a big project/ reading assignment every so
often. Once she gives us the assignment, I see when the due date is.
I go home and a week later in class we start talking about the
project and who has even started on it. A few days go by and I still
choose to wait until later to start because I am lazy. My mom keeps
nagging me to start because she knows later I’ll start stressing
out. I continue saying “Yeah Yeah, I’ll do it later, its fine
mom”. The day before my project is due, I start worrying a little
bit but I know that as soon as I get home, that’s all I’m going
to be doing all day. The bell rings to go home and all that goes
through my mind is the project I have to start on even though I’m
lazier now than the day before.
The rest of the day
I’m sitting in the same place in the kitchen with my big mess of
papers, colors, and other project materials. By night time, I am
nowhere close to being finished and I begin stressing even more
because all I want to do is go to sleep already. It’s 11 o’clock
at night and I just start crying because I’m overwhelmed with
stress. My mom tries her best to help me out and she just looks at me
and tells me, “Mija, didn’t I tell you a week ago to start this?
Why do you always do this? I would’ve thought that you learned by
now.” The next morning we both wake up extra early to finish the
last minute details and I am off to school. I present my project and
of course I get a fantastic grade. Did I learn my lesson about
procrastinating? Of course I did not because I will probably do it
again.
Every year, every
assignment, I always procrastinate and stress myself out. I choose to
wait till the day before my homework is due and I work as fast as I
can to present a beautiful assignment to my teacher the next day. I
always say I will try to get better at that but it never happens. My
middle school years were the worst years to procrastinate. In my
reading class we had book assignments due every week. We would go as
a class to the library, check out a book and take a test on it the
next Wednesday. I personally have gotten lazier to read every year.
Reading books is not my favorite thing to do and I only do it if I
have to. I agree with Bruce Ballenger when he says “You’re bored
or frustrated with what you’re reading. You can’t focus at all.”
During 7th grade in junior high, I always failed my tests
because I only got to read half my book the night before and I
realized I should’ve done it earlier. By 8th grade year,
I tried extra hard in that class and I managed to keep a B. I was
extremely proud of myself. I might have learned my lesson now.
For the next assignment, I have chosen to include the Profile project. A profile uses interviews and observations to focus on an idea. For this assignment, I was to profile someone who striked me as interesting and someone who is representative of a larger group or discourse community. I chose to include this essay because I felt that it was very meaningful. I enjoyed being able to describe and present a person like Jesus in my essay. Based on instructor feedback, I composed an insightful and vivid profile.
One
Step at a Time
The day came when
Jesus and his wife decided to make a big decision to move the family
to a different state. He had lived in California since he was 16, met
and married his first wife, and even started his family. Life seemed
pretty perfect for him. He had two kids at the time, an 8 year old
girl and a 4 year old little boy. Moving to a whole new area and
environment was a big step and something that would change their life
in a whole new way. According to him, he says “What’s life
without big changes?”
Moving to Yuma,
Arizona was exciting for Jesus and his wife Angelica. Jesus explains
each step of the way. “I sold my house in California and we went
ahead and bought a beautiful 2 story home. I went all out and
included a pool for my kids to enjoy. I wanted to make this
experience great for them because I know moving is not easy. It’s
difficult to leave family and friends behind and start fresh in a
city where we don’t know anything about. My daughter left her
friends behind and has to start at a new school and meet new people.
My son will eventually start preschool in the fall.” A few months
after moving to Yuma, they received more big news! They were
expecting their third child which would be a baby girl.
Jesus is a truck
driver that worked for a local company. Unfortunately during the
summer, he was laid off his job and became stressed out because how
was he supposed to pay for bills? The whole summer he struggled to
find work and bills started piling up. He had a brand new house to
pay and personal expenses. “The whole summer I was out of work, I
didn’t know what to do anymore. Was this move a mistake? I almost
decided to leave the house and go back to California. I was extremely
frustrated and upset. I didn’t want to let my family down. One day,
I talked to my wife and we decided to start our own trucking
company.”
Starting businesses
is never easy. If you are a first time starter, everything seems like
its piling up to just break you down. Pero la vida sigue (But life
goes on). The first year was sour because it was a lot to deal with
and a lot of new things to learn. He says his wife supported him
100% of the way. We all know that with the full support of our loved
ones, anything is possible. After a while, things for him started
getting better. Once he bought his first semi-truck, he slowly
started progressing up. He was very excited to have his own business.
He carried produce such as celery from fields to coolers. During the
season, he was in Yuma. Then during the winter season he was working
in Oxnard. The spring/summer time, he was in Salinas. Year after
year he bought a new semi-truck to slowly expand his company. He now
currently has 5 semi-trucks. His business is excellent and
successful. Life is great for him and his family.
He and his wife
Angelica have always been good at saving money and knowing their
limits. He says that his friends who also have their own company,
struggle when it comes to emergency situations. There’s always
those rainy days where you need to pay up a fee. He claims he has had
to help friends out because they don’t know how to maintain their
banking and they don’t save money how they should. He has taught
them strategies to becoming successful and maintain good banking.
Truck drivers are
important to our community. Being a truck driver is not easy
especially when you have a family. Being a truck driver requires you
to be alert at all hours of the day and drive long hours. Jesus does
not spend a lot of time at home. He spends most of his time working
in California since there is more work opportunities there. He says
he loves his job and maybe plans to retire in a few years because
he’s “getting old”. His son has always loved what his dad does
and always follows him around. After his son graduates, he wants to
become a truck driver as well and hopefully take over his dad’s
business.
Life is never easy.
We all learn the hard way how to overcome obstacles. Even though we
are pushed down to the floor by difficult situations, we always
manage to get back up and try harder. Family is important and
especially to Jesus and Angelica. Jesus says “Everything I do is
for my family and that will never change. I understand I do not get
to see them often because of work but what satisfies me is knowing
that they are well and have all the things they want and dream of. I
am very happy with life right now and very proud of my children. My
wife is one of the best people in this world and a blessing. She has
raised my children so well and I know I have taught them what hard
work is. One thing to always remember is to never give up.”
Jesus Davila.
Personal Interview. 6 June 2015
For the third assignment I chose to publish, I included my Ethnography essay. I felt it was one of my best writing assignments throughout this course. Ethnography is a method of inquiry that explores cultural phenomena – certain elements, ideas, or behaviors of a particular subculture. In this assignment, I was to choose a group within my local community and research it as its own sub-culture. Since I am Hispanic myself, I chose to compose this essay about Quinceaneras, which is part of the Hispanic culture. I feel I expressed every detail about this culture to the best of my ability.
Hispanic
Culture of Quinceaneras
When someone hears the word Quinceanera, someone starts
thinking about a big poofy dress, mariachi playing, and a big party.
There's something much more than a big dress and a big party. When a
Hispanic family celebrates a quinceanera, it represents a fifteen
year old girl going into womanhood. In an article based on culture
and politics,
it states how a
quinceanera includes a mass where the girl is represented as a new
woman and a party with a choreography of waltzes that represents a
passage into a period prior to marriage and the reality of life
(CULTURE
AND POLITICS IN THE "LATIN AMERICAN" CITY).
People who are not in the Hispanic culture and do not understand the
meaning and purpose of a quinceanera might think why is it so
important to them? Why do Hispanics make it a big deal? Based on
observations I have made, interviews, and sources I have gathered, I
can clearly explain the true meaning behind all this.
The
quinceanera tradition goes back to more than 600 years ago when
Mayans and Aztecs celebrated a young girl being eligible to get
married, have kids, and take responsibilities of a woman in her
community. After a while, the tradition was influenced by Spaniards
and a Catholic connection emerged. Now non-Catholic churches such as
Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal or non-denominational have also begun
to offer religious ceremonies for Quinceañeras. First, the young
girl begins by learning duties. This included cooking, cleaning,
housework, and child-rearing.
The
Religious Ceremony
For
a quinceanera, one of the most important parts is the church mass.
The priest gives the quinceanera girl a blessing. During the mass, a
priest explains the responsibilities she will have to take on as a
woman. The ceremony is a reminder of her devotion to God and a
rededication of her faith/baptismal vows. For the mass, there are
also traditional gifts presented to the quinceanera girl by her
parents and god parents. These traditional gifts include a tiara,
earrings, a bracelet, a ring, a bible & a rosary, flowers, a
necklace, and the last a doll. The tiara symbolizes her standing as a
princess in the eyes of God. Her earrings symbolize as a reminder to
listen to God's word. The bracelet represents the unbroken nature of
God’s love: it is unceasing. The bible is an important gift because
it is a place where she can run for advice and companionship
throughout life. The rosary is presented to assist with her prayers.
The ring is has the same purpose as the bracelet, which is God's
never ending love. Lastly, the doll, or ultima
muneca, represents her leaving
behind her childhood and giving up childhood toys. It is also an
exchange for more grown up interests and responsibilities. During the
mass, the flowers are to be taken to the Virgen Mary and you pray to
her and thank her for the years of life she has given you. After all
these gifts are presented to you, the priest blesses them.
Source:
Google Images
The
Party
The
party comes after the mass and it is what everyone mostly looks
forward to. People usually either host them at a ranch for more space
and privacy or any reception hall. To begin, while everyone arrives,
some people have a live mariachi band play to entertain the guests
while they eat. Other people choose to have the Dj play certain songs
while everyone arrives and begin to eat. After a while, the
quinceanera performs her waltz. This consists of her and her damas
and chambelanes, which
are friends and/or family that help to present her. After her waltz,
the quinceanera girl does a shoe change with her father. The father
will kneel down while his daughter sits down in a chair. He then
changes her flat shoe into a high heeled shoe. This represents and
shows how she has left behind her childhood shoes and will be
replaced with her first high heeled shoes. Once this process is
completed, they begin their father daughter dance. There are many
beautiful and meaningful songs to dance to. In the article Once
Upon a Quinceanera: Coming of Age in the USA
by Julia Alvarez, it tells about a girl's personal experience.
Jennifer Ayala says “Dancing with my father to Julio Iglesias's De
Nina a Mujer in a peach poufy dress
as family and Latino and non-Latino guests watched.” Most common
father daughter songs I have observed while being in quinceaneras
include: De nina a mujer, Dance with my father, La ultima muneca, Mi
nina bonito, My little girl, Mi viejo, Tiempo de vals, and Vals de
las mariposas.
Source: Google Images
Once
all the waltzes have been done, the party continues. Once the dancing
officially begins, either the family will hire a DJ to play all
night, and/or they have a live band to play. While speaking to
Veronica Davila, she said she had a DJ and a live band. The live band
played from 7pm until midnight. While the band took breaks, that's
when the DJ would come in and play music to keep the guests
entertained. Veronica Davila is a young girl who recently had her
quinceanera and described to me all the details surrounding it.
Another young girl whom I spoke to was Micaela Hernandez. She had a
quinceanera as well. She mentioned how during a quinceanera party,
there is a third dance called a surprise dance. It consists of any
freestyle dancing of your choosing. “My surprise dance consisted of
3 songs. I danced this with my damas and chambelanes. We started off
by dancing a hip hop song. Then we switched to an upbeat second song,
which was a merengue song called Suavemente by Elvis Crespo. Finally,
we moved to a slower beat, which was a bachata song called Te Extrano
by Extreme. It was fun learning and dancing new genres of music. It
was the first time I learned how to dance bachata and merengue.”
The party is a great and fun way to spend time with family and enjoy
each other’s company.
Planning
When
it comes to party planning, there is much more work than what you can
imagine. Planning a quinceanera requires time. For best planning, it
is best to start about a little more than 6 months. What most people
don't realize is that quinceaneras are also very expensive and the
total amount varies depending how and where you shop. A typical
quinceanera will cost you around $15,000. The first step is to choose
the date in which this event will happen. Then you must reserve your
church ahead of time and the location of your party as well. After
this is done, you can begin with choosing your dress and decorations.
Finding a dress is one of the most important items because it
represents you and your style. You are the center of attention the
whole day. Most girls go for the poofy dress in any color desired.
Most quinceaneras are accompanied by damas (girls) and chambelanes
(boys). When it comes to themes, it changes the way in which they
will be dressed. It can either go from formal wear, to a western
look, or a marine look (for guys). Finding the outfits for the main
court should be decided with months timing and should be settled if
orders are being placed. Now, you begin finding your decorations
according to your theme. The decorations include: table tops, center
pieces, balloons, wall and room decor, cake, party favors,
invitations, etc. There are also decisions to make about what type of
food you are serving your guests and what type of entertainment you
are setting out. It is always best to have the most important
decisions made within time because everything that is done at last
minute is very stressful. Do not get me wrong, quinceaneras are very
beautiful and fun to plan out, but what many people don't realize is
that it can become very stressful fast. When there's about a month
left before the big day, the dance rehearsals begin with the
quinceanera girl and her main court to practice the waltz and
possibly the surprise dance. The week of the big day may become
frustrating and stressful since you are trying to make sure you have
everything you need and all things that were being shipped have
arrived. The day before becomes very hectic with family coming into
town and trying to set up the reception hall to be prepared for the
next day. Once you realize the next day is just hours away, you begin
to realize what type of work it took to plan and prepare. All the
time, money, stress, and patience that went into it eventually pays
off.
Conclusion
What
most people do not realize is that quinceaneras are much more than
just a dress and a big party. There's a big religious meaning behind
it all that we all eventually learn about once we experience it
ourselves. From personal experience, a quinceanera is extremely
stressful at times but very beautiful when it comes to the big day.
Seeing everyone who came to celebrate with you is an amazing feeling.
I especially enjoyed how the feeling of being at the church and being
blessed by the priest. I thanked God for allowing me to experience it
all with my family and friends.
