startling news....

The other day I was flipping through the channels on tv and something caught my attention. I usually do not watch the news but what was being broad casted really shocked me. I saw on the title of the news event involving something about California, so I stopped and watched. I am from San Diego and I think its weird to see things on tv about California because it seems like it is not important way across the country here in Indiana, but to me it is important. A few days ago a large group of illegal immigrants, many a hundred or so, tried to cross the Mexico-United States border illegally and were arrested for it. In the past decade this has been an increasingly horrible problem for the US because so many immigrants are seeking refugee and illegally coming to our country because they are having so many problems like the drug cartels and the wars with the Mexican Mafia. My dad works for the county of San Diego and is working down at the border, so when I saw this happening on the television, I was so worried about what he was doing. I had no idea if he was safe or not. I felt so helpless and so distant from what was going on. I really wanted to make sure so I called me mom and thankfully she said he did not have to help out with all that chaos. I now have such a great appreciation for people such as police, sheriffs and border patrol workers because they are constantly putting themselves in danger by keeping our cities and our country safe. They are a big influence in why our countries security is so well maintained.

Where is the love?

For my synthesis and analysis essay I am going to write about Where is the Love by The Black Eyed Peas. Listening to this song and how it relates to our society today is sort of a rude awakening. A part of the song goes:

"Wrong information always shown by the media

Negative images is the main criteria

Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria"

This short part of the song reflects what our world is coming to. All the bad influences that young adults and kids are getting into. This really shows how everyday things are directing kids in the wrong direction. Another part of the song goes like this:

"Overseas, yeah, we trying to stop terrorism

But we still got terrorists here livin'

In the USA, the big CIA

The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK"

Our country has recently been greatly affected by war and terrorism ever since 9/11 and this song really focuses on the cause and affects of war and fighting.

Teaching

So I came to Ball State knowing I wanted to become a teacher. My major is elementary education. I love working with kids and I love to help people. I think this career would be very beneficial because I enjoy to see peoples reactions when they learn something new and they finally understand a concept. I want to be a role model for children and I want to be a stable adult figure in their lives and be there for them if they ever needed me. I used to baby sit back at home and I believe that it was good practice for me in terms of being responsible and taking care of somebody.

Freshman Common Reader.

Last night I went to hear Ishmael Beah speak to the freshman, and wow!! Despite everything he has been through, he is such a kind-hearted person. Not to mention a very smart man. Listening to his thoughts and emotions about his life, it makes me feel thankful for the protection and the life I have here in the U.S. One part of Beah's speech he talked about his trip to New York City and how fascinated he was that we had hot water at the turn or a handle unlike at his village in Sierra Leone. Little things like that are what makes our country seem so ungrateful. I was also very intrigued by Ishmael's demeanor when he gave the speech. He seems so comfortable with his unfortunate past and it seems like he has forgiven himself for all the bad he has done and seen. It surprises me, though that he does not have nightmares anymore. After reading the novel, I am glad to see that Ishmael has recovered from his past. He definitely has inspired so many people with his story and his desire to become a better person.

California-My home town

All 18 years of my life I have lived in San Diego and loved it. I mean when your about 20 minutes away from the beach, what could get better? I love being surrounded by people, so living in a city with nearly a million people, San Diego is the perfect place to live. When I committed to attend Ball State I didn't realize how different it would be without ANY of my friends of family. I knew I would be okay on my own because I'm not the type of girl that needs everything done for her. I also knew that I would have to learn to take care of things on my own as well. Of course I miss my friends back home, but I'm fortunate to have made so many more friends here since I've started college. Thinking back to how my life was in California makes me appreciate the great things people have done to help me be successful.

BSU Softball

This week we starting practicing and it has been very fun. I feel so fortunate to be surrounded by so many great girls and a wonderful coaching staff. Although the practices are sometimes long and tiring, all the girls encourage each other and we all work hard because we know it makes us better. Even if it is the first week, I feel as if I know the girls so well and we are all so close. I was actually quite nervous at the beginning of pre-season because I was afraid the team would look at all of the freshman, including me, and not treat them the same as the older girls, but everyone was very welcoming and the girls are very welcoming and glad to have new additions to the Ball State softball team.

Reality TV

I am a fan of watching reality television. I'm not quite sure why it is. Maybe it is the drama that is in other peoples lives that is entertaining to watch. One question I always had is why are so many people drawn to watching shows that involve people making a fool of themselves. For instance a group of girls trying to "fall in love" with somebody throughout a game show. Hollywood and celebrities are often seen as young people who party and can pretty much get away with murder. But why is it millions of people still watch and encourage it? Could it be that we have no better things to do with our lives? Or is it for the reason that we like to see how other people's lives unfold right inside the tv screen and there is nothing we can do about it but watch. That is the reason: people like to watch because they know this sort of thing would never happen in their lives so they humor themselves into watching others make a fool of themselves. Is this what our society has come to?

Childhood Experience

This is one of my pre-writes for a possible memoir of my childhood:

My family and I always do things together. When I was about 6 years old we went camping at this beautiful place with a shimmering lake. It had a thick, luscious forest full of green trees and rocky trails. I was playing with some of my friends who came along with their families. A while later, I was sitting inside a huge tent petting one of my friend's golden retriever. He had a long, silky coat that was a sandy color. I was doing nothing but admiring and petting his furry coat when suddenly he bit me in my arm. I instantly starting screaming and crying because I was so confused on what had just happened. I was so frightened and went running to look for my mom and dad. They told me I would need stitches and I thought it was the end of the world as I cried all the way to the hospital. When we finally arrived to that dreaded place, I was relieved to only receive two stitches, but at that time, I didn't think anything else could be as bad as what had happened that day while I was camping.